A Little Twisted
by Swordsman Crona
Summary: Crona finally destroys Asura and takes possession of his soul, absorbing his power. All seems to be lost as the world falls into complete chaos. However, Maka soon realizes that Crona's personality has taken a turn for the annoying, as he'd rather stalk her than do anything else...
1. Chapter 1

**A/N- MaleCrona and manga-verse. Even if you've only seen the anime and haven't read the manga, it won't be too hard to understand after this chapter, so don't worry about it. I started this a few months ago before pretty much any progress started in the moon battles, so it's different than the recent chapters. This chapter is serious and sort of angsty, but trust me, that's going to dramatically change in chapter two. **_**Trust **_**me. **

They were losing.

The elite Spartoi and Death Scythes along with Stein, even when all teamed together, could not even hope to defeat the embodiment of Madness known as the Kishin.

The great entity stood before them, scarves floating around him in an almost magical way, though it forced horror and insanity into all those who laid eyes on him. The Kishin gazed onwards, his face unexpressive, all three eyes focused on those who dared challenge him. The eye patterns on his hair and scarves seemed almost attentive as the energy of his soul pulsed throughout the air.

"You still think you can win?" Asura murmured, tugging absent-mindedly at the scarves covering his mouth. It was a disappointing sight to him; all of these beings that were previously considered 'powerful' attempting to team up against him. He expected something more challenging, even went to the extent of preparing his spells. All he ended up getting was a group of children and Death's minions, none of which posed a real threat to him in any way. Not only that, but the supposed 'other sides' had failed to make a significant appearance. He assumed that they'd finally become sensible and left to save their own skins. Asura was so looking forward to a multi-sided fight which he would eventually be the victor of; but these were all just pesky soldiers and greedy wanna-be Kishin, and were but a trifle to a powerful being such as himself.

The Kishin found his eyes drifting to a pigtailed girl as she used her Scythe partner to pull herself up from the ground, one hand clutching at a gaping wound in her side. The flesh festered and crawled, and she let out a low hiss of breath, looking up at Asura with hate-filled eyes. Her breathing was heavy and labored and her knees wobbly, but it didn't seem to affect her confidence and malice.

"Tch," She growled, taking a step forwards. Blood leaked between her fingers from the newfound motion, but she paid little mind to it. She carefully stepped over the unconscious form of one of her comrades, giving a silent prayer that he, along with everyone else, would be fine in the end.

"You have a death wish?" The Kishin murmured in response, a small smile finding his face. "I admire your determination, but it is pointless, Miss Albarn. It would be of your best interest to give up while you still have the opportunity."

"No!" Maka cried furiously, her muscles failing, sending her falling to her knees. She glared up at Asura, fury painted on her face. "We will defeat you! You can't win, I won't let you!"

Asura couldn't help but give a chuckle, placing a hand on his hip. "You and what army, girl?" He gestured towards the space behind her, where all of her companions lay unconscious and bleeding. His face changed to one of pity as he continued, eyes trained on her. "All of your friends are done for. All I need to do is snap my fingers and they're gone, even the miniature shinigami. I almost feel bad for you." His tone was filled with mocking sympathy, lips pursed in a small pout.

In response, Maka spat in his direction, teeth grit together. "I don't need your pity, _Kishin_."

"You don't?" He sounded innocently surprised, sighing and tapping his chin lightly. "Oh, well." With that, Asura flicked his hand forwards, and Soul went flying from Maka's grasp. He landed with a loud clank against the hard surface of the moon. The death scythe reverted back to his human form, panting heavily, clutching at a gash on his forehead. The look in his eyes told that he was completely out of his senses; pupils unfocused and dilated.

Maka swore at her misfortune, now on her hands and knees. She couldn't die like this, not now! She still had so much she wanted to accomplish! She wasn't a three-star meister yet, hadn't grown better than Stein, hadn't helped Soul become _the true_ Death Scythe…

Asura stepped towards her, all eyes locked on her panicked face. Maka's breath hitched, and she fell back onto her rear, beginning to scoot away from him. How silly this was for her! Coming to defeat him, only to back away in _fear_? She hissed at the thought, blood beginning to drench her side. "Stay back, you!"

Soon enough, Asura stood right above her, staring down at her with those odd eyes of his, examining her as if she were a test subject. His brow furrowed and his lips sealed tightly, a small "hmm" coming from his throat. He bent down, placing his hands on his knees, getting at eye-level with her. He leaned forwards slightly, as to gain her full attention. "Miss Maka Albarn. Such a young age to go." One of his hands tapped lightly on his collarbone, and a smug smile found its way onto his face. "But such a lovely Grigori soul you have. Mind if I collect it?"

Maka found it hard to breathe. How did you breathe again? In, out. How do you _do_ that? His hand was coming closer, ready to rip out her soul and devour it.

There was nowhere to run; nothing to do that could possibly save her now. Those eyes wouldn't quit staring at her, staring into her very being. She shut her eyes, hoping that somehow, through some freak event, she would be spared.

She knew it was hopeless.

What happens after you die…?

…

_Splut_.

A warm substance drenched the front of her shirt, though she wasn't feeling any more pain. It couldn't have been _her_ bleeding. Her eyes snapped open, unable to bear the curiosity.

Asura was hunched forwards, his dark blood dripping from his mouth, eyes wide with pure shock. He trembled slightly; fear painted all over his face, and reached his wobbly hands towards his chest, where the pain seemed to be centered. He twitched and vomited up more blood, his eyes meeting Maka's in a sort of plea. Asura's panic soon vanished completely, his face losing all expression as he collapsed.

He was dead.

Maka stared at his motionless body for a moment, appalled. His death was so fast, she didn't even have the time to react, much less know what to think.

She noticed a movement behind the body, and her eyes drifted up to find an all-too-familiar head of pink hair and a pair of distant eyes gazing down at her.

"…Crona…?"

It was him. Just standing there, his eyes trained on her, was the boy who used to be her best friend.

Crona's hair was less tidy than he used to keep it, and the robe he wore was all black and lacking that white collar he used to have. His eyes had deep, dark lines etched beneath them from months of sleepless nights, though they remained wide open, almost frozen in a traumatized fashion. One arm hung limply at his side, and the other was stained with the Kishin's blood, a glowing soul clutched in his fingers. The soul had the three eyes of insanity clearly imprinted on it, and radiated an extreme Madness wavelength.

_Asura's soul_.

"You…" Maka breathed, unsure how to react for a moment. This friend that she was sure she had lost was right here in front of her, and had killed her enemy for her. It was almost too good to be true.

"Crona!" She gave a shout of joy, a grin appearing on her face, alongside a slight pink tint on her cheeks. Her eyes threatened to spill over with happy tears as she came to the realization that luck was on her side for once. Her friend had an odd expression, as if he didn't register the fact that she was expressing pride for him; his eyes simply followed her form, as if contentedly observing her. "You defeated the Kishin! We could hardly do any damage to him, so you're superior to practically everyone in Shibusen put together!"

Crona still didn't respond. For a moment, Maka worried that perhaps he was still under the influence of whatever it was that drove him to commit so many sins that he got on Death's List. But, he was here now. If he was still insane, he wouldn't have stepped in to save her right before she got her soul removed. True, this was not her Crona; but her Crona was buried somewhere inside of this being in front of her. She could help him become Crona again, she knew it.

Miraculously, she pulled herself to her feet with wobbly knees, keeping her grin plastered on her face. She looked up, meeting his eyes with her own. "I'm proud of you, Crona." With that, she threw herself forwards, wrapping her arms around him in an embrace.

She was met with a searing pain.

Maka kept her lips tightly sealed, trying not to cry out, and remained in the one-sided hug for a moment. Then, she slowly drew back and looked down at herself. Small spots of her blood were beginning to leak through her white shirt, alongside the crimson still pouring from her side wound. She knew why. The Spartoi girl gave a nervous laugh and looked back up at him, still smiling.

"Gonna have to do something about those thorns of yours, though. They hurt."

No reaction, just that heart-stiffening stare.

"You've got to say something." Maka insisted. His silence was making her edgy and nervous. "Come on, Crona."

Crona didn't as much as twitch in response. Maka was no fool; she knew that there was a problem when she saw it.

"Crona, please," Maka was begging him now, to say something, anything that would assure her that he was mentally there. "Just say one word, and I'll be happy, alright? Can you do that for me?"

And then, he finally reacted.

He smiled.

The slight upturning of the edges of his lips was enough to send a cold chill up her spine. Something was amiss here.

"Wh-what's so funny?" Maka tried at being playful, still desperately clinging to the hope that he was okay. "Are you okay?"

She couldn't take it anymore. Maybe… it must've been that soul he was holding! That had to be it! Somehow it was affecting him! She extended a hand to confiscate it from him, emotions beginning to show on her face. "Give that to me."

Crona shook his head slowly, that sick smile still plastered on his lips. Finally, they parted, and he spoke in a soft murmur in that voice she knew so well. "I'm finally done." His eyes burned into hers, captivating her attention. The tone he used was different than what she was used to from him; quiet, light, and airy, as if he was shocked and couldn't tell whether he was pleased or not. He gave a light shake of his head, gaze never once wavering. "I'm _done_."

"I don't get it!" Maka blurted, her fear getting the better of her once again. "What the hell are you talking about?!"

The hand that held Asura's soul was slowly raised, the Kishin's blood trailing down his arm.

"Goodbye, Maka."

Before the girl had time to react, he tilted his head back and dropped the soul into his mouth.

A nauseating slurping noise came forth as it slithered down his throat, blood dripping from his chin.

It stopped. _He_ stopped.

He stood there, unmoving; satisfaction clearly written on his face.

Maka was stunned to silence.

What… just happened? He… he ate the Kishin?

Why?

Suddenly, the answer became all too clear.

He shuddered, clasping both hands over his mouth and taking a shaky step backwards. His eyes left Maka's form and began flicking around, his body audibly cracking and snapping. Crona's back arched forwards, his hands gripping helplessly at his face. Random words drabbled from his lips, vines stretching from the ends of his robe once again and crawling across the moon's surface.

Maka realized for a moment that he was undergoing some sort of metamorphosis. Without a doubt, his insides were morphing into something else; his outer appearance not taking on any changes quite yet.

Crona, unable to contain himself, let loose a scream of agony; blood dripping between his fingers. _Pain_. Was this supposed to hurt so much? He could feel his insides squirming and changing into something unfamiliar and twisted, not even remotely close to human. His goal wasn't to become human anyway, but the thought that he was being pushed further and further from humanity was horrifying.

Maka found herself completely frozen to the spot, unable to move. It was terrifying to watch him change into… whatever he was becoming, but it was so transfixing; so difficult to describe. Her eyes glazed over and her brain remained unregistering to the fact that he was crippling under his own weight.

She had a feeling that things were never going to be the same, no matter how hard she tried.

All of those months looking for Crona, eventually giving up, and then finding hope again… it all seemed meaningless. Maka had resolved to save her friend no matter what it took, and now, he was the real enemy.

Where did she go wrong? Was she too slow? She'd messed up somewhere along the way. No, wait, she'd messed up throughout the _whole damn thing_. Running away when she saw him talking to Eruka, refusing to tell her trusted weapon partner about anything, putting it off until the next day… even in the beginning, she'd gone wrong.

In that moment, she knew that she failed.

Everything was over.

The world went dark.

**A/N- Hee hee.**

**See you next time, friends!**


	2. More than a little awkward?

**A/N- In this chapter- Crona behaves like an entirely different person and is re-introduced to Maka. Crackiness ensues. **

**Rest assured, the Crona we're familiar with is still in there… somewhere.**

**Thanks for the reviews, faves, and follows! It means a ton! ;u; I've never really shared any of my writing with anyone before, so I'm not very experienced. I know my sentences are way too long, but I'm working hard to fix it. It took me a few days to write this because I've been busy and I'm mostly excited to write the chapter after this one. I had a small panic attack and erased a couple thousand words because I wanted to improve them, haha... Never ended up re-writing them, though…**

**I hope I don't fail you, friends!**

The first thing Maka felt was a burning fear, searing past her soul and into her scrambled mind, right down into her very core.

As soon as it had come, the feeling was gone, leaving behind a dull stinging on the side of her stomach. It left her with a thin bane of consciousness, and she groaned wearily. She stirred a bit, vaguely realizing that she was in her own bed and pajamas, hair tied into buns.

_Good._ Everything about the moon had been some kind of sick nightmare invented by her overly-imaginative mind. It seemed so real and so long, but it couldn't have really happened. It was too silly, she thought. She was safe, Soul was safe, Crona wasn't a Kishin… everything was alright.

She sighed contentedly as her mind slowly relaxed. She moved to roll over on her side, but found that she couldn't.

Something was stopping her.

Her eyes flickered open, struggling to find see in the bright light flooding into her room. She squinted a bit, finding it hard to see anything at all. Then, they quickly came to focus, and she nearly screamed in shock.

"Hi, Maka!"

Crona's face was only a hairs-width above hers, a huge, silly grin painted on it.

He was crouched above her, wearing a ridiculously bright neon-yellow hoodie that clashed horribly against his pink hair and the green shorts he had on. His hands rested on her hips as he stared at her expectantly.

"…sup?"

"…Crona…?" She managed, staring at him blankly. She was flabbergasted into silence. How the hell was she supposed to react to something as _stupid_ as _this_? Wasn't he still completely insane? What was he even doing in her apartment?

"Yeah?" He asked, unmoving. He tilted his head slightly in an oddly cheerful fashion. He was acting in a way that suggested that this was the normal way of waking up.

She quickly came to the conclusion that this was _not_ Crona.

Maka completely snapped.

"_WHAT SORT OF SICK JOKE IS THIS_?!" Maka landed a hard punch in his face and he fell backwards off of the bed, screaming all the way. She was _not_ going to believe that was Crona, no _way_. He wasn't like _this_, he was gloomy! Had the world gone crazy while she was asleep?

Maka hastily decided that she had to go find Soul and sort out this mess, if it even were _possible_ to sort. Her mind was completely muddled and she wasn't sure what to think. She quickly threw the bed covers off of herself and swung her legs out of bed, her feet landing neatly into her pink, fuzzy slippers as she pulled herself to a standing position.

"Oww…" The 'Crona' slowly stood, rubbing his swollen cheek and sticking out his lower lip in an adorable pout. "What was that fooooor…?"

Maka didn't hear him, being much too busy staring, slack-jawed, at the mess of what used to be her room.

It wasn't really the fact that all of her drawers were pulled open with the insides spilled everywhere that bothered her. It wasn't because her stuffed animals were sadistically ripped limb from limb, and it wasn't because her books had pages torn out. Although those were all true, what was most bothersome was the fact that everything was _floating_.

Everything in her room was ripped into pieces and slowly flying around the room without any organization, some items colliding and bouncing off of each other. When they hit, they both emitted a synchronized "Excuse me!" before heading off in their respective directions.

What also drew Maka's attention were the three, glowing Kishin eyes floating above Crona's head. They stared directly at her, pus leaking from the edges and spilling past Crona and right onto her carpet.

Crona had long since been distracted by a book floating just out of his reach. It had a dainty, heart-shaped lock on the binding. _Maka's diary_. "You know, Maka, I think that this makes a nice apology gift, don't you think?" He went on, with the scythe meister hardly listening to him.

Maka was busy realizing the fact that _he_ was the one who destroyed her room, rage boiling up inside of her gut. "_STOP THAT_!" She yelled commandingly, hurtling the nearest dictionary at his unguarded face.

He collapsed immediately, his head nearly knocked off by the speeding projectile. The eyes that floated above his head flickered and vanished, leaving nothing but a puddle of goo on her floor.

Maka didn't have time to celebrate her victory, as she heard the quiet click of her door opening.

"Hey, Maka. You finally decided to wake up, huh?" It was a familiar voice, a friendly one, and one she was overjoyed to recognize.

She immediately turned, eyes lighting up as she saw who was standing in her doorway. She had _never_ been this happy to see anyone in her entire life.

(Crona's small cries of "Dear _god_, my _face_!" fell upon deaf ears.)

"_SOUL_!" She rushed up to him as fast as her legs would carry her, and she clutched his arm tightly. She took no time bombarding him with questions. "Soul! You've got to help me! Who is this Kishin and why does he look like Crona and why is he in my room and why—" She paused mid-sentence to stare at him with a blank look.

Her weapon partner had a dusty white apron tied around his front, over an old shirt and shorts. His shirt sleeves were rolled up, and he had a white bandana tied over his spiky hair. In one hand, he held a bright pink feather duster.

"…Soul, why are you dressed like that?"

That last question seemed to strike a nerve and the death scythe flinched, scowling a bit. "Well…" He pondered for a moment, staring at the ceiling. "That Kishin is Crona, he looks like Crona because that's who he is, and he's in your room because he's a _pervert_." His expression changed to something more dangerous and his eye twitched. "I'm wearing this _stupid goddamn outfit _because I have _no frigging choice_, okay?!" He turned as if he was going to go down the hallway again, but he was stopped by Maka squeezing his arm. He turned to look at her, surprised to find her looking like she'd been slapped across the face.

"Soul… I don't… how did… you mean, that wasn't a dream after all…?" She was silent for a moment, staring at him with wide eyes. "…how long was I asleep?" The question was tentative, as if she didn't really want to know.

He stared at her for a moment before responding.

"A few weeks, I don't know. I wasn't counting."

_Ow_.

That time, he saw her cheeks turn pale as hell and instantly regretted responding.

(Neither of them really noticed Crona hugging Maka's ankles, black blood dripping down his face while he sobbed to himself.)

"How much has changed, Soul?" Her voice turned flat and serious, her rational side taking over.

"A lot," he responded. When he saw the incredulous look Maka gave him, he sighed, realizing that she was asking for a lot more than just a simple answer. "Look, Maka, I'm tired as hell, okay?" He leaned in closer to her, and she noticed that there were dark bags beneath his eyes. "_Do you have any idea what I've been through while you were sleeping your ass off_?"

"It's not my fault," Maka snapped, quickly stopping when she noticed that he was on the edge of passing out from sleep-deprivation. "…alright, I'm sorry, I can see that you're not doing so great."

"I'll explain everything later," he told her, seemingly satisfied by her apology. "I'm not sure how much help I can be right now, so you can just run around and figure everything out by yourself."

As much as Maka wanted to object, she simply nodded, frowning.

(Crona slid upwards and clung to Maka's hips and leaned around her to stare at Maka and Soul, crying for attention; though he remained completely ignored.)

"Maka, can you check on the others while you're gone? I've been locked in this damn apartment for weeks and I'm really worried about them."

Maka paused, staring at him. "…wait, locked in? What do you mean?"

He stared at her wearily and gestured towards the living room with the feather duster. "Check in there." He turned and walked in that direction, leaving without another word.

Maka didn't like this situation at all. With Soul refusing to answer her questions, she wasn't sure if she'd ever figure out what was going on. There was always the possibility that she was dreaming, but it felt far too real for it to be fake.

Finally, Maka looked down at the sobbing boy who clung to her waist and addressed him with a sour expression. "Look, I don't believe for one second that you're Crona. I don't know who you are or what you want, but you're not _my_ Crona, so knock it off."

Crona clung tighter, his watery eyes widening in dismay. "You don't…?" He stared at her for a long moment, waiting for her to change her mind. She couldn't tell exactly what was going through his mind and his expression didn't reveal anything, either.

At that moment, Maka decided to take a peek at his soul to see if that told more stories than his face did. Besides, she hadn't been around him very long and didn't have any idea what his soul was like. Maka discreetly switched on her soul perception ability without looking away from his face.

She didn't look directly at his soul, and she wasn't really sure that she would look at it even if she had gotten the chance. Immediately after activating her ability, her vision was completely blurred with a deep, crimson haze. She could barely make out the form of the person she stared at, much less concentrate on it. A loud, distracting humming filled her ears and threatened to make her practically deaf. She had to stop there, blinking away the haze and abandoning her soul perception.

Was that the sensation of his soul?

What was _wrong_ with it?

Maka saw him clearly again, and his eyes still held that childishly upset light. Suddenly, his lips tightened and the tears abruptly vanished, and it became blatantly obvious that they were fake. His voice took on a low tone, deeper than she was used to, and spoke flatly. "You seriously don't believe me?"

She was surprised by his unexpected change and stared at him. She almost felt her heart stop at that moment, frozen in shock. "…no, I don't," she managed, eyes narrowing.

"_Geez_, Maka!" Crona groaned, letting her go and standing up. Maka jumped slightly, surprised yet again by his constant changing. "Okay, fine! Be that way!" He stuck out his tongue at her and hopped from one foot to the other, jogging in place. "I'd think you'd recognize _me_ of all people, even after changing just a bit. But I guess that you get what you get, right? So, I'm going to make the best of it!" He gave a quirky grin and poked her on the nose, giggling like some kind of maniac. He quickly turned on his heel and rushed down the hallway in the same direction Soul went.

As he left, he gave a shout at whatever he was heading to. "Hey, are you done yet?"

Maka glanced back at her ruin of a room, biting her lip.

_The living room had better not be like this_…

The TV was quickly switched on as Crona threw himself onto the couch, grabbing a full bag of popcorn from cushion beside him. The television was set on the sports channel and the volume on full blast, rattling the windows with the booming sound of monster trucks. The speakers vibrated and bulged, hardly able to withstand that much noise.

The door swung open and banged against the opposing wall, revealing one _very_ upset Maka.

She clamped her hands over her ears and bit her lower lip, trying to block out the racket to think rationally. Looking around to survey the damage, her mouth dropped open in horror.

There was a huge pile of the remains of instant ramen styrofoam cups, some tipped over and spilling their contents onto the floor that _used_ to be clean. The walls weren't doing any better, covered in splotches of who-knows-what. Bits of popcorn were stuck in the carpet, and Soul was busy trying to pick them out, his face pulled into a scowl. He seemed to be muttering to himself, but she couldn't be sure over the noise. Her coffee table was turned on its side and placed against the wall, a blanket placed over it like some sort of fort.

Maka finally understood what Soul meant when he said that he was 'locked in'. Piles of trash and food remains were stacked up against the door, barricading it shut. The rancid smell was barely dimmed by a bunch of air fresheners hanging from the ceiling. A note was stuck on the wall next to the locked door, written in spidery handwriting; "WORK HARDER, SOUL!" A small smiley face was scribbled on the bottom corner.

"_TURN IT OFF_!" Maka yelled, trying to get Crona's attention. He didn't notice at all, shoveling more popcorn into his mouth. She recollected her bearings, stomping over to him and moving quickly in front of him. "_OFF, NOW_," She demanded, pointing towards the TV while her other hand remained clamped over her ear.

Crona stared at her for a moment, completely straight-faced. Then, he grinned sheepishly, red-faced, and mouthed something to her that she couldn't hear.

Maka raised an eyebrow. She wasn't sure what he'd thought she said, but it obviously wasn't a correct interpretation… at all. Deciding to stop things before they got awkward, she moved and hit the power switch of the TV and the noise finally vanished. Her hand dropped from her ear and she sighed wearily. Her ears were ringing a bit, and everything she heard sounded hollow.

"Maaakaaaa, why'd you do that?!" Crona complained, the blush quickly fading and the corners of his mouth tugging downwards.

"_Thank you, Maka_!" Soul sighed with relief from his spot on the floor.

"Shut up, Soul! Who said you were allowed to talk?!" Crona crossed his arms, looking upset.

"Just," Maka breathed, massaging her temples with annoyance. "Just… stop talking." Crona moved to say something she knew would be snarky, but she put up a hand and stopped him. "Oh, don't even start that. I've had _quite enough_ of you."

He sighed in disappointment.

"Crona, or whoever you are," Maka demanded, pointing at the barricaded door. "Open it. No buts, just do it."

Crona looked like he was going to object, but he decided not to. Avoiding eye-contact, he snapped his fingers. The piles of trash were suddenly gone, leaving behind nothing but a sickly odor and a puddle of mold.

Soul gave a strangled scream and flopped backwards onto the floor, clutching his head in desperation. "_You… why didn't you do that in the first place_…!"

Maka had no room left for surprise. She was already getting weary, and she'd only just woken up. She sighed sleepily and rubbed her forehead. "_Please_, no more… What did I do wrong…?" Her hair had fallen out of its buns, and there were popcorn kernels stuck between her toes. She was _more_ than fed up.

"Maka…" Crona whimpered, using that innocent voice he'd put on earlier. "I-I'm sorry if I made you mad…"

"Can it," She snapped, turning away and going back towards her room. "You can't fool me."

Soul had since fallen asleep in the middle of the floor, snoring loudly.

"Blehhhh," Crona muttered, pursing his lips with annoyance.

Maka dug through her closet and took out some fresh clothing. She held it close to her chest as she trudged to the bathroom sleepily. Whatever it took, she was going to re-gain some sense of normalcy.

She stepped into the bathroom, making sure the door was locked behind her. She was wary of 'Crona', and wasn't going to take any sort of a risk. She knew it was silly and dumb to think that he might barge in on her, but she had a nagging feeling in the back of her mind that he was just how Soul had described him earlier.

She quickly brushed the wariness away. Even if that wasn't Crona, it was hard for her to imagine something even slightly resembling him being like _that_.

Maka mentally chastised herself for being such a worrywart, sighing and setting her clean clothes down on the sink.

She was about to undress, but the nagging feeling wouldn't leave her. _Maybe there was something in the shower_? She thought of herself as being childish for suspecting him of hiding in there or something, but it wouldn't hurt to check.

Maka yanked the shower curtain open…

…and screamed.

Three Kishin eyes poked out of the wall, red pupils trained directly on her. For the first time in ages, she was glad that she was paranoid. Swinging the curtain closed again, she picked up her clothes and stormed out of the bathroom, heading towards the front door.

Crona spotted her as she went and ran after her, sounding panicky. "Oh, Maka, y-you saw that? I mean, I can explain—"

"No." Maka spoke firmly and didn't even pause to look at him, acting like he wasn't there.

"Maka, I—"

"Just… no." She grabbed the doorknob and pulled it open, still ignoring him.

"BUT—"

"NO!" With that, she slammed the door shut in his face.

**A/N- Not exactly what you expected, huh?**

**Well, I tried, right?**

**Kind of short, too. I'll make it longer if I get the chance.**

**Next time, Maka pays a visit to Gallows Manor and meets a distressed Kid with a **_**serious**_** problem on his hands.**

**I pretty much consider these first parts to be an introduction of sorts, but yeah.**

**Sorry I didn't put too much effort into this chapter, I initially wrote it in the middle of the night when I was just about ready to pass out. :( My sincere apologies. I'll work harder next time, promise!**

**See you later!**


	3. Kid's paper-filled dilemma

**A/N- Aaaand, at long last, here we go again!**

**Sorry it took me so long to get to this. I hop around my unpublished fanfics a lot, plus I'm a pretty busy person. (Busy with what, drawing? I'm such an idiot…) In any case, I'm back to this disaster of a fic while trying to get motivation to finally write a different multi-chapter CroMa fic I've been planning for a while. I'm **_**also**_** beginning to work on a Christmas-y one. After all, everyone's gotta be in the holiday spirit, right?**

**Anyhow, I don't know exactly where I'm going with this particular fic, but I know that once everything mellows down a bit, I'm going to throw in a twist.**

**Well, I hope you enjoy this chapter! **

_Gallows Manor_.

That was the very first place that came into Maka's head when she thought of cleanliness.

Kid's mansion was big, expensive, and all decked out in fancy décor. Describing him a "spoiled brat" wouldn't be precise enough wording. Spoiled? Naturally he was, being the son of Death- whom apparently had enough cash to found a giant school and a giant home, not to mention the majority of the city. Bratty? It depended on how you looked at it. While he was extremely precise about everything and was easily offended, "bratty" wasn't the right term. He had a heart- though he hardly showed too much of it-, and he made a good companion… albeit a very rich one.

Maka, for the first time, was grateful that she had a friend like him. Obviously, he'd have a spare bathroom she could use for a shower until she was feeling in the mood to get back to her officially crazy apartment.

As if _that_ would ever happen, with that freak running around like he owned the place.

As the manor finally came into view, she gave a hearty sigh and quickened her pace. _Good,_ she thought, _I'm almost there._

She trudged through the gates and up the porch, hurrying to the door like a madwoman. She raised her hand to the doorbell, and suddenly hesitated.

She had a dreading feeling in the pit of her stomach, like she was making a serious mistake. Whatever was behind this door felt like a disaster waiting to happen.

Maka brushed it off, being too desperate to really consider the consequences. She pressed the doorbell, stepping back and waiting for it to open.

For a long while, she got no response. She raised an eyebrow in anxiety, waiting with baited breath for something to happen.

Just as she stepped forwards to ring the bell again, a buzzing sound came from a small speaker just above it, indicating that it was turned on and someone was on the other end.

There was a small sigh.

"…hello…?" A feeble voice questioned, its tone wavering. It cracked a bit, as if it had been overused and dragged through the mud… multiple times.

Maka would recognize that voice anywhere, but she found herself in disbelief, unable to think of this as the same person.

She leaned towards the speaker and replied into it, face tight with confusion. "Erm… Kid…?"

There was a loud gasp on the other end, Kid giving a shout of "MAKA!" before the static stopped, and the speaker went silent. A series of quiet clicks could be heard as the door unlocked itself, allowing her entrance into the huge home.

She stared at the door for a moment, but nothing happened. It became clear that no one was at the door, and the unlocking was electronic, somehow. Maka, still frowning in confusion, reached for the doorknob with her free hand and thrust the door open.

As were the other times she'd entered, the main room was spotless and gleaming, reflecting the peak of aristocracy. Maka didn't dwell on its professional nature for long, as she noted that there wasn't anyone in the room. Not a single sound could be heard except the light padding of her feet, still in her pink slippers, and her own breathing.

Finding this peculiar, she set the fresh clothes she was carrying onto the counter of a coffee table to free her hands. "Hey, Kid?" She called, glancing around. "Liz? Patty?" Maka started off down a hallway, looking around with curiosity and peeking into the rooms she passed. "Hey, is anyone home…?"

She paused about halfway down the hall, listening attentively as a quiet sound reached her ears. It was a rapid thudding of some sort… like footsteps.

It grew louder and louder, and she grew alarmed, taking a step back.

Her fear was short-lasting, as she saw Kid tumble towards her from the other end of the hallway, stumbling like an awkward lamb. He was almost as destructive as a tornado as he crashed into the wall to his right, knocking over a few precisely hung paintings and letting out an indignant "oof". He forced himself back into his feet in mid-stride, making it his number one priority to reach the baffled girl, no matter how much dignity he had to abandon.

"_Maka_!" Kid cried finally, knees completely giving out as he clung to her.

Maka almost collapsed under his weight, struggling to keep her balance. "Uh, Kid?" She awkwardly patted his back, hoping to help him re-gain his normally composed stature. "Are you okay…?"

"No, I am _not_ okay!" He wailed, shivering in what she could only think was terror. "I can't _take_ it anymore! Save me, I beg of you, Maka!"

Oh, no. Not a good sign. It didn't have anything to do with Crona, did it?

"Whoa, Kid, slow down!" She instructed, trying to peel him off of her. "Tell me what's wrong and I'll see what I can do!"

He grabbed her shoulders and pulled back, staring at her with wide eyes and lips pulled into a half-scowl, half-frown.

"_This_ is what's _wrong_!"

Maka's jaw dropped. _No way_.

The white lines on his hair were complete.

The lines of Sanzu wrapped neatly around his entire head, like three halos neatly dyed into the black.

"Kid… your _hair_…" She managed, still awe-struck.

"It's horrible, Maka!" Kid sobbed, wiping furiously at his golden eyes to keep them from watering any more. "Simply _awful_!"

"Pull yourself together, Kid!" Maka interrupted, holding him an arm's-length away by his shoulders. "How is it awful? Aren't you symmetrical now?" Knowing Kid, she was at a loss as to why he wasn't celebrating and tossing confetti in her face. "Don't you get stronger powers or something like that?"

"Maka," Kid said flatly and seriously, staring at her intensely. "My. Father. Is. _Gone_."

"_Gone_?" Maka's breath halted for a moment, and she was completely at a loss for thought. "Gone _where_?"

"How the hell am I supposed to know?! He's just gone, Maka!" Kid's face changed back into a panic, and his eyes darted around, almost paranoid. "And if my lines of Sanzu are complete, that means that he's _gone_-gone! As in, he doesn't exist anymore! He is _dead_, Maka!" His lips pursed tightly for a moment before he broke into tears again. "Do you know what I have gone through?! Do you know how inexplicably _annoying_ the people in this city are?! Do you know how much _goddamned paperwork_ I am left with?! And without a father! I am… orphaned!"

"Kid, Kid!" Maka said, expression going hard as she shook him by the shoulders. "Don't freak out yet! I'm sure he isn't dead… he can't be dead! He's _Death_!"

"Well then, _smartass_," Kid accused in a not-very-Kid-like fashion, "How do you explain these _things_ on my head?!"

He was bordering hysteria and Maka had to think fast before he tore the entire manor down.

"Just relax! I'll help you out!" She removed her hands from his shoulders and put them on her hips in a determined way. "You have paperwork, right? Enough to make you cry?" Maka sighed and pursed her lips. "Let's see this disaster of yours. Just stop _crying_, would you? It'd make things easier for the both of us."

Kid sniffled, wiping viciously at his eyes to claw away his tears. "Tell anyone about this, and I swear-"

"Oh, don't freak out, you'll be okay," Maka patted his back lightly, smiling as nicely as she could in such a situation. "It can't be that bad."

Kid snorted and scowled, not saying anything more on the subject. "Come along," he invited, turning and quickly walking back the way he came. Maka sighed, deciding it best to comply.

As they walked, Maka realized that she could finally ask him what was going on after she sorted things out here… which may or may not be easy.

They came upon a large door with neat engravings in the wood, nearly reaching the ceiling. Kid sighed irritably and fingered the golden doorknob.

"I don't want to deal with it again!" He announced, frowning at the door with hatred obvious in his expression. "But I if I _am_ to represent my honorable father in these times of need, I must tend to all of my duties…" He finally pulled open the door, panic beginning to show on his face again.

As soon as it opened, sheets of paper began to fly everywhere, giving Maka more paper cuts than she'd ever had before. She spluttered and knocked them out of the air, clutching a small cut on her cheek.

"You can't be serious! _This_ is what you've been doing?!"

The large room was nothing but piles of paper stacked all the way to the ceiling, pens scattered all over the floor, and a desk in the middle. In the corner, there was a printer rapidly spitting up more printed material for Kid to deal with. She noticed another door leading to a different room, with the muddled sounds of multiple phones ringing.

"How does this have anything to do with being a shinigami?!" Kid wailed, covering his face with his hands. "Apparently, Father has been putting this off for years, and now it needs to be done! Guess who has to do it?!"

"Do you seriously need to read all of these things?" Maka muttered, picking up a document from near her feet. The grammar was almost too complicated for her to decipher.

"Read? HA! I gave up reading these things long ago! They're all pretty much the same; I just need to sign them!"

"…Kid, what if they're-"

"IT DOESN'T MATTER!" He shouted, snatching the paper from her and jotting his name on the signature line. "Just get these things done! Here, you sign my name on the documents over there!" He pointed to a large pile across the room.

"Sign them? My handwriting isn't even close to yours!" Maka said in exasperation, eyeing the papers.

"That doesn't matter either, Maka! I've been doing this for so long that my writing is beginning to look like it's from a monkey writing with its feet while riding on the wing of a jet plane backwards! Just do it!" Kid froze for a moment, glancing at the door with the ringing phones. "I'll be back in a moment," he declared hurriedly, running to the room and entering. As the door opened, the sound of ringing phones was almost deafening.

Maka sighed huffily and hurried after him, wanting to make sure that he didn't kill himself over this. "Kid, slow down, would you?!"

"Yes?" Kid spoke into a phone, trying to be louder than the ringing. "Uh-huh? There's a Kishin egg in your kitchen? I'll send someone over." He slammed the phone back down and pressed a button on the desk, shouting into a microphone. "_Mijolnir_! You heard it, now get moving!"

There was a sleepy groan on the other end, which Kid promptly ignored, picking up another phone.

"Mhm? Yes, I understand." He turned and jabbed the button again, returning to his yelling. "Albarn, get off of your lazy ass and MOVE!"

As Kid moved to grab another phone, Maka slapped his hand away from it. "I think you need a break from this, Kid. You're losing it."

"Break? How I can I take a break when everything is at stake?!"

"Easy. Like this." Maka picked up the phone herself and spoke calmly into it. "Sorry, Death the Kid is busy right now. We'll take your call later." She put the phone back and glanced up at him. "See? Better, right?"

Kid was silent for a moment, dumbfounded. "I can do that…?" He asked feebly, staring at her.

"Well, you're in charge for now, so I'd assume that you can." She shrugged, reaching around one of the tables covered in phones and unplugging them from the wall. They went silent and she started towards some other phones to unplug them. "Better?"

"My ears are still ringing even though the phones aren't," he said, leaning on a table for support.

Maka unplugged the last group of phones and sighed. "Well, at least things are quiet now. There's only one more thing to do." She got up and walked back into the paper-filled room, Kid's eyes following her curiously.

"And what would that be?"

She didn't respond, but Kid listened as she walked away.

The sound of the printer stopped.

"Done!" Maka called triumphantly.

Kid managed to sturdy himself and hurried into the room, staring at the girl who stood over the destroyed printer. "Hey! What was that for?"

"Now you don't need to work anymore," she declared, crossing her arms, looking very pleased.

Kid stared at her blankly, like she'd turned into a deformed dinosaur.

"…but-"

"But nothing! Your father put it off for this long. What difference would it make if you waited until he got back from wherever he is?" Maka clicked her tongue disapprovingly. "You'll be fine."

Kid was frozen for a moment, and then he just sighed. "I swear that you have saved my life on this day." A small smile found its way back onto his face and he straightened the cuff of his shirt, finally composing himself. He absent-mindedly ran a hand through his hair, brushing down the messy strands. "…I am rather handsomely symmetrical today, aren't I?"

"Yes, you definitely are," Maka stated, sighing in relief. She decided that this was finally a good time to bring up the subject of the Kishin. "Hey, would you mind telling me what you know about what in the world has been going on around this crazy city? It's driving me insane!"

Kid nodded, contemplating. "I'm tired. Let's discuss this over tea," he gestured for her to follow as he began to walk down the hallway, his hand still caressing his hair as he murmured compliments to himself.

Maka reluctantly followed. She'd rather just get it over with, but seeing how Kid had just been bordering suicide, she thought it best to just follow along so he didn't go back into a panic. She couldn't see how he could relax after such a simple solution when the world was still out-of-whack; but so long as he didn't cry, it was okay.

They came upon a vast kitchen with a clean table in the middle, surprisingly neat. Maka wondered for a moment how it was still so organized considering Kid's rampage earlier; and then quickly came to the conclusion that he hadn't stopped to eat. She eyed him warily as he went to the stove to set a kettle of water, but she didn't note any change in his weight. She had known that being a shinigami had certain advantages, but didn't realize that it meant that he didn't need to eat all that often.

"What is it that you need to know?" Kid questioned casually, reaching towards a cabinet. "You've been asleep for quite some time."

Maka decided to ignore her thoughts for the time being, and sighed. "Where should I start…? I don't even know what's going on."

"I'd think it would be obvious. You were there, after all." He got a box of tea bags and took out two of them, placing the rest back in the cabinet. He sent her a glance, his demeanor unwavering. "More present than the rest of us, that is. All we know about it is from what was left of Asura's corpse."

"That's not what I mean," Maka shook her head. "I'm not talking about that. I'm talking about everything that's happening now. I don't understand why everything is so chaotic."

"Ah," he said dismissively, crossing his arms and answering quite simply. "It's because of the birth of a new Kishin."

"…Crona…?" she asked wearily, taking a seat in one of the chairs around the table.

"Indeed."

"…is it really him?" She breathed, resting her elbows on the table and putting her face in her palms. "Why is he acting like that?"

"He seems to get a kick out of misery and disaster, from what I've gathered." His eyes drifted back to the tea kettle, having nowhere else to look. "Mostly, I figure that it has to do with the ecstasy of having power over others. He's never had that before, has he?"

"Well, no," Maka murmured, glancing at him. "It can't be him, that's what I'm saying. He's not like this at all. He's shy and sweet, not… whatever you want to call him now."

Kid was dead silent for a moment, and then he finally continued hesitantly. "…Maka… you didn't really get to know him that well."

Maka's lips tightened. "What are you talking about?"

"What I'm trying to tell you is that maybe we didn't actually know him." His eyes avoided her, unable to speak directly to her without guilt. "He was only at the academy for a few months before he left again, and he didn't speak much to us in the first place. Well, he spoke more to you than anyone else, but I still find it hard to believe that you understand him at all." Kid paused for a moment before continuing. "Crona was scared, Maka. It's possible that who he really was didn't show."

Maka shook her head violently, scowling. "You're wrong, Kid. I know who he is and what he's like. How do you expect to understand this?"

"I'm just asking that you consider the possibility, that's all."

"Huh."

It was silent for a long moment, until Kid decided to speak again.

"I don't think what you've seen of him recently is his true form."

Maka stared at him. "What're you trying to tell me?"

"Being a full-fledged Kishin has changed him; that much is for sure. Considering that he was able to consume someone with equal- if not stronger- power than his own, I doubt that his body would be able to hold it. His body may have been able to hold in the power before now, but it took a violent toll on his mind. I can't imagine that his old self would be able to withstand even more." The kettle began to hiss and squeal, signifying that the water had finished heating. "He has changed a lot, hasn't he? Being able to sprout extra limbs and vines and all that. I don't find it hard to believe that he's changed even more. What he appears to be now… I think it's a disguise of some sort. He looks quite identical to how he did before his metamorphosis when he vanished, doesn't he? Not that I've seen him very much, that is. He did pay a visit here directly before the flood of work began, but it wasn't for long; mostly to disorganize my paintings. Anyhow, although I have no idea what his true form may be, I doubt that it's pretty." Kid poured the boiling water into two cups and set the tea in them, turning to look at Maka. "Do you remember anything from Asura's death that would prove to be useful information?"

Maka answered slowly, still digesting Kid's theory. "Well, his body did seem to… mutate. Whatever you want to call it, it's all the same to me. It wasn't good." She shuddered a bit, the memory rising to the surface.

"Then, it appears that my realizations were correct. I think it would be wise to be wary in his presence." He came over and set the teacups on the table, still deep in thought. "He's been running around and ruining everyone's lives, it seems. I heard that he's been using Soul as a slave of some sort? He gave me a call, but there wasn't much I could do, since Crona has made your apartment his base."

"He didn't try to hurt me, at least," Maka mused, taking one of the cups from him. "He was… well… perving on me. It wasn't anything super agonizing, though."

"It seems to me that he has a certain fondness for you," Kid murmured and stared down into his tea, still standing at the tableside. "I'd assume that's the only reason your sanity is still in one piece. I wouldn't think that he'd let you off the hook for too long, however. Stay wary."

"Alright," Maka agreed, voice quiet and murmuring.

It was odd to wake up into a strange world where even her best friends had changed. Everything was warped and weird, and she knew that she hadn't noticed even a fraction of the differences yet.

…differences…

She realized that it was oddly quiet for Gallows Manor, and her head whipped up.

"Where are Liz and Patty?"

**A/N- I find a new appreciation for characters as I write for them, and it's really refreshing to be able to write all of these guys. Even though I can never be exact, it's tons of fun and I really try. :) **

**The next update will come when I get around to it, and don't worry- Crona will be back **_**very**_** soon!**

**See ya!**


	4. The Answer

"Are you _positive_ that they went in this direction?" Maka cautiously asked, hurrying after Kid as they went down the sidewalk.

"For the millionth time, _yes_, Maka," he replied, shoving his hands in his pockets with mild irritation. "I know exactly where they went."

"Alright, fine," Maka said reluctantly, quickening her pace.

She was finally dressed in her day clothes, having quickly changed into them before leaving Kid's mansion. She found it preferable to running around the city in her PJs like an idiot.

Having completely forgotten her shoes at home and not wanting to wreak her slippers, she'd also taken a pair of Patty's boots that were lying near the front door. That girl had too many of those, anyway. It was somewhat difficult to run in heels, though.

"Kid," she began hesitantly. "Isn't this the way to…"

They were both stuck in an uncomfortable silence for a long moment until Kid decided to respond. "Yes it is, Maka," he sighed reluctantly, slowing down as the destination came into sight.

"…ChupaCabra's?"

"Indeed."

The small building stood before them in all of its not-so-wondrous glory, the walls having slightly chipped paint from recent occurrences unbeknownst to Maka.

Maka groaned and sent Kid a glare. "Why would they come here, of all places?"

Kid shrugged passively. "They got an invitation. They didn't let me read it or tell me what it was about, just stormed out of the mansion in a bitter mood. Now that I think about it, this was nearly a week ago." His lips tightened. "Honestly, I'm worried."

"Kid…" Maka murmured, knowing that he was too busy with his own responsibilities to get involved when the sisters left. It was a great accomplishment that he even noticed they were gone. She patted him on the back, giving him a smile. "We'll make sure they're okay, I promise."

The reaper smiled in return, his tense shoulders visibly relaxing. His sharp, golden eyes softened. "You're right. Everything is fine." He began to walk forwards again, gesturing for her to follow. "Let's get this over with, shall we?"

"Alright," Maka agreed, hurrying after him.

As they came up to the door, a scowl came over Maka's face. She couldn't push away the reminders that her father used to enjoy coming here for his sick entertainment. It lingered in the back of her mind, and she hated it. When he should have been doting on her beloved mama, whom she preferred over the majority of other people; Spirit was cheating on her. For years, she loathed his terrible ways and looked upon him with scorn. When she was very young, her papa was a fun companion whom she adored to be in the presence of. As she grew older, he became an object to tease and look down upon whilst he became more and more desperate to hold his family together. Despite that, his efforts had completely failed. Not that she'd expected anything different from the likes of him; unable to push away his bad habits even for something as important as this. People constantly told her that she was overreacting, but she had a very solid argument against that.

Before Kid could notice her emotional conflict, she banged her fist on the door viciously. "Hey, open this goddamn door before I break it in!"

The reaper gave her a sideways glance and raised an eyebrow at her hostile attitude, but quickly brushed it off as the door opened a crack.

An eye tentatively peeked out, noticing the boy first. "What the hell, Kid?" a voice said bitterly, examining him as if he were a potential spy. "This place is closed! Find somewhere else to get ladies to sit on you!" The person scoffed. "Who even knew you were the type?!"

Kid's face reddened considerably from embarrassment, and he opened his mouth to object to the false accusation.

The voice interrupted in a suddenly cheery tone, finally noticing the girl accompanying him. "_Maka_!"

The door quickly opened a bit more, and a very familiar face came into view.

"…Crona, what are you doing here?" Maka asked in a flat tone, eyes narrowed. Somehow, she was no longer capable of being surprised at him.

"Hi, Maka," he purred, ignoring the question completely. "How are you?"

"Well, I was fine until I saw you." She spoke in a rude tone, unlike anything she'd ever used on Crona before. The hurt was obvious in his eyes.

"Ow, _burn_," he muttered, glancing away somberly.

"Move it, I'm coming in," Maka announced, bodily shoving Crona aside and stomping into the building.

"Maka, watch your step!" Crona gasped, reaching out for her frantically.

"What are you-" Maka was cut short as she lost her footing and screamed in terror. The world seemed to lose balance as the ground was torn from beneath her feet.

For a short moment, she had an intense feeling of doom, her bravado crumpling like a paper bag.

Her motion halted with a sharp yank on her arm, threating to tear it completely out of its socket.

Maka found herself staring down into what seemed like a bottomless pit, her feet dangling in the air with nothing to hold onto. Her mouth was open in a lost cry, her eyes wide.

There was a relieved sigh above her. "Man, for a second there, I totally thought I lost you!"

Glancing up, she saw Crona holding onto her wrist from his safe perch on the ledge she'd fallen from… he had saved her.

However, it wasn't exactly the time for gratitude, and having forgotten her voice, she gave him a pleading look; letting him know to get her the_ hell _back up on that ledge.

He complied with her unspoken plea, reaching out for her other hand as well. She gladly returned the favor, her fingers latching around his wrist. He slowly stood and pulled her towards him, assisting her climb. The heels on Patty's boots easily hooked onto the ledge and she struggled up, clinging onto his arms to steady herself. She released the breath of air she'd been holding, glancing down at the pit again. "…th-thanks," she said breathlessly, clinging to him for dear life.

"Do I get a thank-you-kiss?" he questioned jokingly, grinning.

"Nope," Maka replied flatly, looking around the room. The ledge she was on went around the whole place and lead to a staircase. Her sight followed the stairs upwards, and her eyes widened as she saw what was above her.

The stairs only lead to more stairs of many different colors and shapes, the walls contorting into odd deformities. The stairs were littered with various explosives and hazardous items ready to strike out at anyone who made a single foul move. They eventually halted at open doors that lead to assorted corridors, all leading in different directions as far up as the eye could see. It was… well, a maze.

"Not just any maze," Crona interrupted her thoughts and she glanced at him. He was staring upwards, admiring his handiwork. "It's _my_ maze. No one's gotten through the entire thing yet! I invited a lot of people to come and try to beat it, but I don't know where in the maze they are now." He chuckled, smiling happily. "Sure, I used insults to get them here… but hey; they're the ones that listened to them!"

Everything seemed to click into place. Of course it was his fault. He'd sent Liz and Patty those invitations, and now he had no idea where they were… or even if they were still alive.

"You _killed_ Liz and Patty?!" Maka accused in a yell, gripping his arms so hard that it hurt.

His face fell. "…Liz and Patty were in the group?" He bit his lip nervously. "Hey, I never said they were dead!" He glanced at Maka's feet, admiring Patty's boots. "Hey, those look good on you, by the way!"

"_DON'T CHANGE THE SUBJECT!_"

Crona practically cowered under her glare, shrinking a bit. "Alright, alright…! We'll go look for them…"

"That's better," Maka muttered, glancing behind herself curiously. "Where's Kid?"

"Oh, I locked him outside," Crona answered simply.

"Why?" She asked, gritting her teeth. "Actually, you know what?! I don't care. Let's just _go_. I'd rather not have any of my friends die because of your stupid maze for your sick amusement."

"Fair enough," Crona responded, reaching down and holding her hand tightly in his own.

"Cut that out!" She instructed, eyes narrowing.

"…do you _want_ to fall?" he questioned, raising an eyebrow.

She paused. "Good point." Her hand tightened around his, and he smiled mischievously. She sighed with irritancy. "Let's just get moving."

He nodded and began to walk along the edge slowly, guiding Maka behind him. He paused, glancing back at her. "Oh, watch the red stairs, okay? They're miniature land mines."

"…you are a sick, twisted person."

He smirked. "Only sometimes."

* * *

"I'm stuck! Patty, for the love of Death, _help me_!"

"I _am_ helping, big sis!" Patty responded from her safe place on a platform, hands cupped around her mouth to amplify the sound. "I'm telling you to jump!" She sat on the edge, legs swinging back and forth.

"What'd you say?! I can't hear you over the noise in this damn place!"

_TICK TOCK TICK TOCK TICK TOCK TICK TOCK_

"What?!" Patty questioned loudly, raising an eyebrow. Her eyes narrowed, as if she were offended.

They were inside of what seemed to be the inner workings of a clock; surrounded by the clanking of gears and ringing of bells. It was almost painful, the noises being nearly enough to shatter an eardrum. After being stuck there for hours while Liz clung desperately to a pendulum, the girls' ears had grown less sensitive to the noise… not to mention that they could hardly hear each other.

It was a dumb idea, they had realized. It had been a major mistake to listen to those stupid insults from some anonymous person. They had placed their own lives in jeopardy over something as silly as proving themselves, and Liz felt terribly silly about the whole thing; not to mention that her nails kept breaking.

The insults had no support at all. They were flimsy and senseless, not even having any substantial proof.

And then, Liz read the final paragraph.

It was entirely about her cup size in comparison to her sister's.

That was somewhere that no one was allowed to tread, and the sisters had gotten worked up about it; dashing out of the house in a flurry. Then, they'd gotten themselves caught up in the whole "finish the maze" thing.

It was their worst idea yet.

Food was provided via falling from the ceiling for whatever reason, and there were enough resources to provide for an army. However, that didn't even come close to making up for the negatives.

"I give up! I can't do this anymore!" Liz wailed, leaning her head against the rail of the pendulum. Her fingers clutched at the pole and her legs tightened around it. "I'm gonna fall!"

"What'd you say, sis?!" Patty yelled, waving her arms around enthusiastically. "That was pretty rude!"

"OH, FORGET IT!"

* * *

"Why did you even make this death trap in the first place?" Maka questioned irritably, panting from a lack of air. She leaned forwards, gripping her knees as support.

She had only spent ten minutes running from various dangers, and already she was weary and more frustrated than ever.

"…I don't know," Crona replied simply, watching her. He seemed unperturbed by their recent fleeing, his breath steady and his eyes alight with a cheerful glow. "I just sort of… felt like it. I mean, I can do what I want, can't I?" He leaned forwards a bit to get a better look at her face. He smirked. "I am the Kishin, after all." His breath lightly tickled her cheeks.

At that, she turned and glanced at him.

A fearful shudder raced up her spine.

She was chilled to the bone when she really thought about her situation, having not dwelled on it enough. He was a killer and a sinister being. He was on a higher tier than even Asura was, yet he still insisted on following her around. _Her_ Crona had never been flirtatious, and she'd never considered that he liked her in that way at _all_.

Something just didn't seem to add up.

There was always the possibility that he could be using her for some unforeseen benefit, or just planning on snapping her mentality like a twig. It was a terrifying concept to think about.

No matter what Maka tried, she couldn't see this Kishin as being the Crona she knew before. They were completely different beings, and she couldn't tell if his old personality was lingering anywhere. She couldn't even activate her soul perception around him without getting a major headache.

It was scary.

Maka was jerked from her thoughts as Crona stood upright, glancing around curiously. She wondered what he was doing as he tilted his head, as if listening. His nose crinkled in concentration, and he held perfectly still.

Crona suddenly leapt into action, springing forwards and bending over, scooping Maka into his arms bridal-style.

She yelped in surprise, falling uncomfortably and getting a bit of wind knocked out of her. She was shocked at how he was able to lift someone only slightly lighter than himself with such ease, as if she were weightless.

"Hey!" she shouted, a blush coming over her face as she pounded on his chest. She was completely mortified. "What do you think you're doing?!"

"Hold on a sec," he muttered, clutching her tighter to keep her from squirming. He quickly took a few steps backwards, staring with a deadpan expression.

A swinging guillotine sliced through the air exactly where Maka was standing only moments before. It passed by, and the weapon vanished into a crevice in the opposite wall.

Had he not moved her, she would have been cut in half.

However, now was not the time for gratitude.

A series of clicks rang out through the air, coming from all different directions. Maka's ears strained in attempt to hear whether or not there was any pattern, but she found none.

An eerie silence followed.

"…_shit_," Crona cursed, a slight edge to his voice.

"What? What happened?" Maka questioned tentatively, leaning against his scrawny form in an attempt to protect herself.

He took a long moment to respond. "…oh, ha ha, not _much_, really…" he chuckled nervously, glancing around the room with slight panic visible in his eyes. "…but, I should probably get you out of here, um… yeah, _right now_."

"Why?" She asked in a quiet voice, worry appearing on her face.

_Crack_.

Maka's head whipped to the side and saw that Crona had moved his hand protectively over her neck, an arrow stuck into the back side of it. Inky black blood dripped to the floor.

He drew in a sharp breath and shook it off, the brightly-colored arrow landing with a clank.

"I mean, there are a few reasons, ha…"

The black blood hardened and took the shape of thorn-covered vines which laced together, sealing the wound while skin quickly began to boil back into place. His arm wrapped back around her, holding her closely.

Maka stared at the bloodied arrow for a moment, trying to ignore the very likely outcome that it would have killed her if the guillotine hadn't.

"Uh, just relax, okay?" Crona instructed, his grip tightening.

A loud explosion rang out from the direction they had come from, followed by a rumbling that quickly escalated. It sounded almost like a stampede, trampling everything that dared to stand in its path.

Maka's eyes widened as she saw a searing fire rage around the corner, practically turning the walls to charcoal. Her eyes stung from the heat, despite the large distance between her and the hazard.

Crona quickly turned and began to run, surprisingly fast for someone supporting another. His knees constantly buckled slightly from the pressure, but he tried to shake it off whenever it happened. The inferno was quickly growing nearer, the crackling noise intensifying.

The boy sighed in frustration, giving Maka a quick glance. "Do the both of us a favor and cover your eyes for a second, would you?" Crona shouted above the racket, weaving between multiple guillotines and out of the way of flying projectiles as they hurtled around the hall.

He spun around with an awkward stumble, coming way too close for comfort to many assorted deaths. Though, it seemed like he was paying more attention to the girl's well-being rather than his own; constantly taking blows for her.

Maka was more than happy to comply with his request, finding it much less horrifying than keeping a close eye on all of their close-call experiences. She bit down on her lip to keep herself from screaming.

"That's a good girl!"

There were a few popping sounds, and for a moment, she thought she heard a laugh alongside them.

She felt something shift in Crona's movement, making it smoother so he didn't jerk around. The motions were swift and clean, albeit fast. It reminded her somewhat of an amusement park ride… only, without the amusement.

Maka relied completely on her hearing to attempt to find out what was going on. She was completely baffled by the rhythmic booms and crashes from multiple directions, and couldn't make any sense of it as it tangled up in her mind.

The noises of the fire were dimming, as if it were fading away. The other sounds followed suit. She couldn't understand what was happening.

It wasn't long before silence began to drum, and Crona slowed to a stop. There were a few more pops, and then nothing.

"You can open your eyes now, Maka."

She complied, quickly turning her attention towards the direction they came from.

The ground was littered with what little remained of smashed guillotines, arrows, boulders, and other various traps. The walls were burned to the point that they were melting, dripping down onto the floor.

"Wow…" Maka murmured, shooting a sideways glance at Crona. He was truly powerful.

"Yeah, you're right, this thing was a really bad idea," he admitted sheepishly.

"Yes, it was."

She paused for a moment.

"…hey, you can put me down now, you know."

"Aw, do I have to?" Crona asked, making a childish pouting face.

Maka scoffed and pushed out of his grasp, landing neatly on her feet. She smoothed her skirt down, her mind still running wild with questions and accusations that she dared not voice. Her first suspicion had come automatically, and she dwelled on it.

_Had he changed forms while they were running?_

It was an extremely likely possibility, but she still had no idea what he had become or why he'd wanted her to shield her eyes.

Was he…

…embarrassed?

"Let's keep going."

Maka's prying thoughts were interrupted by his words and she glanced up at him again, not expecting to see him frowning. He looked strangely upset at something, his expression cold and bitter. It was as if he were mad or frustrated at her.

He studied her face closely, as if searching for something of extreme importance.

"Come on," he instructed flatly, turning and beginning to walk away. He put his hands in his pockets, deciding not to reach for her hand this time. He didn't even bother to glance back to make sure she was following. "Those two… they're over here."

Maka watched for a moment, confused by his ever-changing attitude. Then, she quickly trailed along behind him, fumbling to re-start a conversation.

Seeing him like this was somewhat unnerving.

"So… how do you know they're over here?"

"I can hear them," he replied, continuing to stare forwards. "Liz is too loud."

Maka paused, listening closely.

She couldn't hear anything besides the clicking of her heels on the tile floor.

"…huh," she mused. Apparently, his new state as a Kishin heightened his senses to the very peak reachable by such a human-like form.

They went quiet again.

Maka couldn't help but realize that she preferred him being loud and obnoxious over silent and angry.

She was hit by a pang of longing, wishing for the Crona she used to know to return to her. _He_ was the one she wanted back.

She missed his stuttering and his sensitivity, his shy offers of assistance, his awkward fidgeting, his blushing, the small smile he would only give to her…

…Maka missed _him_.

What had become of Crona? Not this entity before her, but really _him_?

Something must have happened to make him act like this, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. It was as if the answer were right there in front of her face… so close that she couldn't focus directly on it.

"Would you stop _doing_ that already?"

Maka's eyes moved to Crona's form as he spoke to her without glancing back.

There was something in his voice that seemed feeble and broken. She noticed that he was avoiding looking at her, his head tipped slightly away.

"Sorry," she answered simply, unsure exactly what she was apologizing for.

"No you're not," he muttered bitterly.

They fell into a silence that was almost painful to bear.

Maka wondered quietly what she had done wrong.

Her train of thought deserted her when she heard a loud, rhythmic clanking in the distance.

"Is that where we're going?" she questioned tentatively, unsure whether or not it was a good time to speak to him. She got no response, and decided that it was safe to assume that she was not welcome to speak.

Crona's pace quickened as a large door became visible at the end of the hallway, and Maka followed suit. The noises grew progressively louder and it made her somewhat concerned, glancing at him again.

He was looking downwards, bangs obscuring his face. She couldn't read his emotions, but she assumed that he was still angry with her.

As they reached the door, the clanking became almost unbearably loud. Maka clamped her hands over her ears to block out the noise, and turned to Crona to ask if they really had to go in there. She never got the chance to ask, as he quickly pushed the door open.

Now she recognized these noises as being that of a clock, and she was somewhat embarrassed that she hadn't made the connection earlier.

Crona walked ahead of her, not hesitating to enter the room.

Maka glanced inside worriedly, slowly making her way towards the boy.

It was an intriguing sight; having never expected to be able to enter an actual clock. She didn't have room to marvel, however. It was far too dangerous to slow down, and the noises clouded her thoughts and made her agitated.

It was so loud that it burned.

She glanced at her companion, seeing that he didn't need to cover his ears at all. She considered that perhaps he could change the strength of his senses on a whim; and that was why it didn't bother him. He had to have strong hearing before, having heard the noises from a far distance. Or… perhaps he didn't actually hear things, and just sensed that they were there?

There were so many possibilities that she decided against thinking it over. She could just ask him later, saving herself the major headache.

Maka saw his mouth move in attempt to form words, but she couldn't hear them at all as they were swept away in the racket. His face painted in mild irritancy, he pointed to a platform high above them.

The girl's eyes followed where his finger led, and she smiled.

There were Liz and Patty, alive and well, seated on the platform. Liz looked breathless and panicked while Patty patted her back, giving her reassurances.

Maka glanced at Crona with curiosity, hands still clutching her ears tightly.

"So, how are we going to get up there?" she questioned, unable to hear her own words. Somehow, she got the feeling that he'd hear her anyway.

"Easily," she read his lips as he spoke soundlessly.

He motioned for her to come closer to him, though he avoided looking directly at her. She was slightly irked that he was so upset over whatever it was, and figured that it couldn't have been that big of a deal. However, she didn't want to raise her voice at a Kishin, no matter how familiar-looking.

She complied with his instruction and removed one hand from her ears, Crona entwining their fingers tightly.

He began to walk up towards the platform on an invisible staircase, carefully tugging her hand to guide her away from the edge that she couldn't see.

"Don't fall," Crona mouthed, pulling her away from the side.

She didn't need to be told twice. Maka carefully followed his exact footsteps, being sure not to stray from his guide. It was extremely nerve-wracking, being able to see hundreds of feet below her of meshing gears. If she fell, she would be ground to pieces in their unforgiving grasp. Even if they weren't there, she would die from the sheer height.

Maka attempted to ignore the fear of danger, but it was difficult. Her so-called "courage" had been failing her lately, and it was putting her in a sour mood.

It was reassuring to know that, albeit how twisted this Crona was, he would not let her fall.

…unless that was his plan all along?

That was a possibility that she did not want to consider.

Maka made one final leap onto the platform, relieved to escape that horror. She sighed with relief and moved to put her hand back over her ear. Crona came up next to her, a slightly bored expression on his face.

Glancing up, she saw Liz and Patty looking completely flabbergasted.

Not that she should have expected them to have any other reaction; considering that they had just literally walked on air.

She opened her mouth to explain, but she was cut off when the two girls launched themselves at her and wrapped her in a hug. Maka nearly fell off of the edge, struggling to keep her balance.

Maka only heard small tidbits of their noisy cries of joy, but she let them hug her, anyway.

Ahead of them, Crona gestured for them to follow. He pointed at a door that she hadn't noticed before.

Maka grabbed the Thompsons by their wrists and pulled them along beside her, deciding to save the reunion for when they could actually hear themselves think. The girls seemed somewhat confused, but followed anyway.

They entered the door, Crona quickly slamming it shut behind them. The noise dimmed to nearly a whisper, the door being made out of some unrecognizable material.

For a moment, they sat in a comfortable silence, enjoying the quiet.

"My ears are bleeding," Patty pointed out, digging in one ear with her pinky. "So noisy!" A quirky grin came over her face, and she ran forwards to give Maka another hug. "You saved us!"

Liz collapsed onto the ground, lying on her back with her limbs spread out. "I thought I was going to die…" Her eyes shut lazily and she enjoyed the content feeling of not running from impending doom.

Maka returned Patty's hug, glancing over at Liz in attempt to get the attention of both of them. "Are you guys okay?" she asked, prying the girl off of herself.

"Peachy, now that I'm not dying," Liz murmured quietly. Patty just giggled.

"Oh! Those're my shoes, aren't they?" Patty pointed out, staring at Maka's feet.

"Er, yeah," Maka admitted, scratching the back of her head. "Sorry about that…"

"Not a problem!" the girl said, shaking her head. "You can just keep them if you want to!"

Patty's eyes strayed away from Maka as she noticed Crona nearby, awkwardly observing them and feeling out-of-place.

"Wait…" the gun murmured, pointing at him with wide eyes. "Didn't you… become…" She went dead silent.

Liz lazily lifted her head to find out what her sister was talking about, and cried out in shock. "You're…!"

"Oh, cool it," he muttered scornfully, looking away. "I'm not interested in hurting you."

The sisters' faces remained with a wary expression, and Liz managed to stand up.

"Soooo," Liz questioned awkwardly, brushing dirt off of her pants. "Is there an exit to this crazy shithole?"

"Right there," Crona pointed to two staircases to their left, one heading upwards and the other going down. "It's the one going downstairs. Just keep following it and it'll take you to the front door. Kid's outside waiting for you."

Their eyes lit up, and they started on a mad dash towards the door. Before they left, Liz glanced back at them, grinning. "Thanks a bunch, guys. Really."

"It's no problem," Maka said, smiling in return.

"But I wanna hear the whole story of whatever crazy stuff is going on around here later!" she commanded the girl, pointing at Crona. He scowled a bit under her accusing finger, eying her angrily. She ignored it. "All of it! But right now, I'm going to go take a loooong soak in the hot tub. I'll see you later!" With that, she quickly went down the stairs in pursuit of her sister without another word.

As the clicking of their high-heels subsided, they fell into silence. Maka was growing weary of these moments, a frown finding its way onto her face.

"Do you want to leave, or what?" Crona questioned, blinking.

"I don't feel like walking right now," Maka murmured, bending over to rub her ankles. "These shoes are starting to hurt…" She glanced around for a place to sit, eyes falling on the stairs leading upwards. "Where do those go?"

"To the roof," Crona replied, shrugging.

"Let's go there," Maka suggested, hurrying to the stairs. She was eager to sit down and rest her tired feet. She glanced back to make sure that he was coming, and then continued.

The sunlight on the roof was almost blinding. She had to shield her eyes for a moment until she adjusted to it, blinking furiously. Eventually, she re-gained her sight.

For a moment, she could do nothing but gape at the marvelous sight before her. The entire city laid spread out in her view, from the Academy and the buildings out to the surrounding sandy areas. She realized that the smallness of ChupaCabra's when she had seen it from the outside was simply an illusion, and this was where it truly ended.

It was stunning.

Maka laughed happily, spinning in circles and absorbing the sunlight.

Crona came up onto the roof, gazing at her with interest. A smile tugged at his lips, and he tried to cover it with one hand.

Maka stopped and glanced at him, her hands falling back to her sides. Her face burned with slight embarrassment. "Erm… sorry. I just-"

"You're fine," he said softly, moving to the edge of the roof.

Crona swung his legs over the edge and sat down, staring down at the bustling city below. He had a thoughtful expression, eyes glazed over.

The Scythe Meister came over to join him, taking a seat beside him.

There was still silence, but it wasn't quite as painful as before.

"Crona?" she asked, staring into the distance.

"Yeah?" he murmured, unmoving.

"I need to ask you something… something important." Her gaze turned to him, her lips tight with seriousness. "You have to promise to answer me, alright?"

Crona cast her a sideways glance, finding himself caught in the light of her lovely green eyes. "…I guess," he replied, shrugging.

She was quiet for a moment, trying to find a way to word it properly.

"…I know you've been different lately," she spoke hesitantly, looking away from him. "At first, I thought that you'd just become the opposite of who I know you as. It makes more sense, doesn't it?" There was a pause. "…but that isn't how it is… not really."

"What are you talking about?" He raised an eyebrow.

"It's like… you have multiple personalities. Yeah, that's what I'm trying to say."

He stared at her.

"Like… one minute, you're flirtatious and are stalking me around. The next, you're upset and rude to me." She sighed. "I don't understand."

She frowned.

"Tell me why?"

Crona's expression was completely placid for a moment, eyes glazed over as his thoughts ran rampant in his troubled mind.

"…I don't know."

Her head whipped around to stare at him again, mouth slightly open. "…what do you mean?"

"I mean exactly what I said. I don't know, Maka. I have no idea."

"…Cro-"

"_I don't like you treating me like I'm a freak just because I'm different_." His voice was quiet, but had a severe edge to it. "So what if I'm different than before… I'm still Crona. If I'm not Crona, than what am I? What am I doing wrong?" His voice became strained, fingers digging into the edge of the roof. "_Can't you still like me_?"

"…Crona…" Maka spoke in a whisper that was barely audible.

Her fingers reached out and brushed his cheek, and he flinched reflexively.

"…Crona… you're crying."

Crona jerked away from her, roughly rubbing his arm against his eyes to dry the salty tears. "How long have I been crying?" He hissed in an annoyed tone, teeth clenched. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"But I just told you!" she pointed out. She frowned, but there was more emotion behind it.

For a moment, she thought she had seen her Crona flicker in front of her.

Just as quickly as he had come, he had left. It made her chest hurt with longing.

"Crona, just… calm down, alright…?" She coaxed, putting an arm around his shoulders. "You're being really moody… we need to work on that."

"I am calm," he sniffled, snuggling closer to her. "I'm perfectly calm…"

"Alright, well, that's good," she said.

It reminded her of the times so long ago where she would comfort him. For a moment, she truly felt hope that he would someday return to her.

They slipped into a silence that wasn't rigid or uncomfortable. Crona slowly calmed down into an amicable state, his breathing becoming steadier.

"…thank you," he murmured.

Maka glanced at him, a smile finding its way onto her face.

"You're welcome, Crona." She chuckled. "Wow, with the way you've been acting recently, it seems more like Ragnarok than you."

He gave a half-hearted laugh. "I guess so."

Maka pursed her lips, blinking. "…where_ is_ Ragnarok, anyway?"

Crona's body gave a violent jerk, and Maka tugged her arm away from him, confusion clearly written on her face.

The boy gave a not-so-Crona-like shout in a bubbly voice.

"I _AM_ RAGNAROK, YA DOUCHE!"

He clamped his hands over his mouth as if he were going to vomit, eyes wide in terror and shock.

Maka stared at him, mouth hanging open.

Suddenly, she began to understand.

"Crona…" she began, voice wavering as she pointed at him.

"…you're… Ragnarok and Asura…"

**A/N-**

**I should get an award for "slowest updates ever". **

**I'm really trying though, I swear! **

**This chapter is pretty long, so I hope that makes up for it…**

**Anyway, allow me to explain!**

**Ragnarok's soul and Asura's soul fused together with Crona's, giving him their abilities… and their character quirks. This means that Crona becomes more forward with his feelings and actions because of Ragnarok, and he's irritable because of Asura's paranoia. I hope that makes some sense!**

**See you next time; hopefully not too long from now!**


	5. Sickened By Him

**A/N- Short chapter because it was going to be very long, I just split it into two pieces. The next update should be later this weekend. c:**

_It hurt._

_Everything hurt._

_At the same time as this wretched pain burned Maka's skin like acid, her emotions felt completely numb and vacant. Her mood was unfeeling, her lips tight with indifference._

_There was something… something important she was supposed to remember… she knew that much. Yet, exactly what this subject was… slipped through her fingers like sand._

_She couldn't really find herself caring about it, anyway._

_The atmosphere was cold and sticky with humidity, her clothes and hair plastered against her body. The Scythe Meister's feet felt warm against the damp floor, and her placid eyes traveled downwards to see what exactly she was standing in._

_Red._

_Crimson blood coated the entire ground, the level reaching nearly to her ankles from her standing point and dying them the color of stolen life. _

_Upon recognizing this, she felt her soul wrench as emotion crackled back to life._

_Terror._

_The sky was nothing but black, lost in an endless void of darkness that spanned much further than the eye could see. _

_The air seemed to pulse with madness itself._

_Suddenly, Maka felt something sharp press against her shoulder, causing her to tense up. Her eyes widened and she suppressed a yelp._

_The sharp object traced caressing circles against her shoulder, handling her with care… as if she would be cut into pieces if it pressed too hard._

_In all reality, she probably would be._

_A warm form pressed against her back, its freezing breath echoing as it hit the shell of her ear. She felt a long, lanky arm come forwards to wrap around her waist, hugging her closer…_

_She wanted to run, she wanted to hide, she wanted to scream._

_She couldn't._

"_Hello," the voice purred into her ear, the form snuggling against her._

_Maka trembled in fear, unable to move otherwise. A faint whimper escaped her throat, and she felt tears form at the corners of her eyes._

_Fear…_

_Such an abundance of fear wasn't normal, especially not for her._

_She was Maka, a courageous young creator of a Death Scythe. She wasn't supposed to fear anything._

_But… this was different._

_This was terrifying._

"_Welcome home."_

…_home?_

_This wasn't home!_

_Home was a small, yet comfortable apartment with a sharp-toothed albino and a flirtatious purple cat in a city named Death. Home was where she was surrounded by friends, baked in the warmth of the Nevadan desert… with a creepy father, a failed assassin, a goofy lord of demise… a kid called Death, two pistols… Home was with a single-eyed woman and a stitched up doctor, a dark-haired ninja… With plentiful violent chops to the head, pointless fights that somehow ended in friendship, the warm embrace of a kind companion-_

"_I sense so much nostalgia coming from you, my angelic Maka," the voice interrupted with an amused tone. She could have sworn that it was accompanied by a giggle. "Do not worry. This is the same place you have made yourself so attached to."_

…_same…?_

_Then, she saw it._

_The roofs of crushed buildings stuck out from the ocean of blood, rubble of familiar objects strewn about in complete disarray._

_This was all that remained of Death City._

_Her heart pounded wildly in her chest, soul swelling in horror._

"_Shh, Maka, shh," the thing scolded playfully, claws tapping against her neck. "It's okay." It chuckled, giving a quiet 'hmm' of content. "It's all right. This is just the __**New Way**__."_

_The way it said those final words were cold and dark, carrying something she had never heard before and could not place._

"_This place belongs to you as much as it belongs to me," it whispered, stroking her cheek with an almost alien gentleness. "…because I have chosen to spare you, Maka. I have chosen you to be my partner, my love, my queen. As all others have fallen so deeply into disarray, I have allowed you to continue to live with that mind you have clung to so desperately."_

…_why?_

_It giggled, shivering in delight. Its claws brushed her cheek a bit too roughly, and she felt blood begin to trail down her face. The back of its hand moved to wipe away the crimson, though it only succeeded in smearing the mess._

"_I have grown so fond of you that I cannot bear even the thought of allowing you to slip away from my grasp…" it murmured, voice growing soft with adoration. "I have made it so that you will have to choice but to remain with me forever. You cannot grow old, you cannot get ill… you cannot change. Even in the case that you shall lose yourself in my madness, you will still be unable to leave my side."_

…_Not even death could be an escape?_

_Not even insanity?_

_How had it come to this?_

_Who was this person?_

"_Welcome to the Garden, Maka."_

_As it spoke, black vines rose from the ocean of blood, twisting and stretching upwards, reaching for the blackened sky._

_Tangled in the thorny embrace of the vines were the forms of cold, lifeless humans._

_Her breath hitched._

_She knew these people._

_Her weapon._

_Her teacher._

_Her egoistic comrade. Her pet. The son of Death. A skilled assassin. Two criminals. Her father._

_Her mother._

_The list grew longer and longer as they continued to rise, unseeing eyes placidly trained on nothing._

_Dead, all of them._

_Maka opened her mouth to scream, to beg for this to go away, for everything to end… anything._

_Instead… she laughed._

_It was a shrill found, a frightening one, but she couldn't get it to stop._

"_Isn't it beautiful, Maka?" the figure behind her giggled, obviously pleased by her laughs. It trailed a finger beneath her chin, rougher than before, yet still filled with compassion. "This is a world where nothing is aligned, where the gears have fallen out of place. Order is pointless and suffocating. In a world like the one I have created, everything has combined. There is no distinction between light or dark, life or death, good or evil. There are no restraining rules. There is no pain at all." The voice moved closer, lips grazing her ear._

"_There is only madness."_

_She struggled to breathe against the laugher that poured from her lungs, wanting desperately to turn and find out who 'it' was._

_Her body had other ideas._

_Maka went limp, held up only by the arm it had wrapped around her. As her head slumped forwards, she saw that the blood was sprouting deep, luxurious red roses from its depths. As they rose, she felt as though she was drowning in them. Tears poured down her face, dampening the plants and making them shine._

_They gained beauty from her pain._

"_Hey, Maka…"_

_She was being pulled down into the flowers, thorns poking into her frail sides and effortlessly ripping her skin as if it were paper._

_It was over._

_Everything was over._

_Her eyes flickered shut._

"_I love you, Maka…"_

* * *

Maka woke up covered in a cold sweat, her breathing coming out in labored gasps.

Sitting up, she looked around her room frantically.

She was alright. It was just a nightmare.

It wasn't real.

True, her room was still in a wreck from when Crona had woken up the day before; but nothing had changed since then.

"Maka?" a small voice mewed.

Her attention shot down to a spot near her feel, where the sound had come from.

A small purple cat lay against her ankles, golden eyes wide with concern.

"Are you okay, Maka?"

"_Blair_," Maka breathed, eyes finally coming to focus on her.

"Didja have a bad dream?" Blair inquired, uncurling herself. Her back arched as she stretched and yawned, showcasing her sharp fangs.

Maka just stared for a moment, tears welling up in her green eyes. She leaned forwards, scooping the cat into her arms. The cat mewled in protest before coming to rest on the girl's chest, sighing contentedly as Maka scratched her ears.

"Yep," Maka confirmed, wiping away her tears and faking a smile. "But I'll be alright… it was just a dream, after all."

"Hmm…" Blair purred, snuggling against her palm. "'kay, that's good!" The cat sat down on Maka's stomach, eyes closing lazily. "By the way… I'm curious! What happened between you and Crona yesterday? He's been sulking all night!"

Maka frowned.

_Oh_…

After they had spoken and realized that he had fused with Ragnarok and Asura, Crona had thrown a full-blown tantrum, screaming and shouting all the way back to the apartment. When they arrived, he was so loud that it woke Soul and made Blair leave her hiding place beneath Maka's bed. Out of frustration, he'd retreated to locking himself in the bathroom, refusing to come out.

"He's… just a bit upset," Maka concluded, sighing.

"Just a bit?" The cat giggles, pawing at Maka's stomach to make herself more comfortable. "It seems like a lot more than that to me!"

Maka's frown deepened. "Yes… but he's not a little kid… I'm sure he can handle himself just fine."

Although she said it, she didn't quite believe it herself.

"Maaaaaybe," Blair murmured, yawning and standing up. "Bu-tan needs to go use her litter box!" She declared loudly, hopping from Maka's arms and onto the floor with ease. "Buuuuuh-bye!"

With that small farewell, Blair ran down the hall, leaving without another word.

Maka sighed.

_Cats_.

Nonchalantly, she glanced at the clock.

6:15 AM.

She could probably catch up on some sleep, but she had slept quite enough lately.

Besides, she was still scared of that dream.

Shuddering at the memory, Maka thrust the covers off of herself and stood up. She didn't bother to put on any slippers, being in too much of a rush to worry about it.

Her breathing was baited, as if making too much noise would attract something scary.

She started down the hallway, deciding it best to wake Soul so she wouldn't be alone anymore. It made her nervous.

Maka paused as something caught her eye.

A sticky note was posted on the wall, a short message scrawled on it. The girl squinted to read it in such dim light.

"_Maka_,

"_I went to pick up some groceries because instant ramen sucks ass._

"-_Soul_."

Of course. He left her with a crazy Kishin and a magical cat. That was so… Soul.

…but 6 AM? Normally, he slept in. She guessed that a lot of things must have changed while she was out of commission for a couple of weeks. Maybe he was more responsible now?

…Naaaah.

Maka sighed irritably, rubbing her forehead. What now?

She paused.

There was a light on at the end of the hall, coming from the bathroom.

Someone was there.

Out of impulse, she followed the light, seeing that the door was open just a crack.

Suddenly, she saw… them…

There were vines stretching out from under the door, covering the floor and reaching up the walls. They were coated in painfully sharp thorns, glowing menacingly in the faint light.

Maka knew that they were attached to Crona, recognizing them as the plants that seemed to sprout from his robe. Even then, they struck fear into her heart.

…but…

She didn't want to be alone.

The Scythe Meister walked forwards, her knees shaking.

_It's just Crona. It's just Crona. It's okay_…

A quiet, annoyed muttering reached her ears.

It definitely sounded like Crona, but… something sounded… different.

Darker.

Deeper.

_It's just Crona_.

Maka's whole body trembled, but she needed this. She needed company.

Her lips parted to call out his name, but the words died before they left.

Tentatively, she stepped over an array of vines spread across the ground. Reaching out a shaky hand to touch the doorframe, she came closer.

_It's just Crona_…

Maka leaned forwards, peeking through the slightly cracked open door.

Her heart stopped.

It was Crona, gazing into the mirror.

…but… it wasn't.

Not really.

There was a giant flower sprouting from between his shoulder blades, completely white aside from the pinkish tips and a large red dot in the very center.

Each petal looked like an eye.

A single petal was as long as her arm, delicately rounded and milky white.

From his left shoulder extended a thin, papery purple wing. His other shoulder did not have one, so it did it even serve a purpose at all?

The rest of him was clearly visible from his reflection in the mirror, though he didn't seem to recognize her presence yet.

Three large, vertical Kishin eyes were open across his chest and stomach, the pupils moving, as if they had a mind of their own. Oddly enough, his robe was white; blending into black at the feet and wrists.

A small version of the flower on his back sprouted from the top of his right shoulder, looking out-of-place against his pink hair. More, tiny flowers covered the vines extending from the end of his robe, as they covered the room's walls, floor, and ceiling.

She was frozen in dumbfounded terror.

Crona's fingers were long, coming at the tips in sharp points, almost like talons. One of the claws tapped absent-mindedly at his shark-like fangs, his tongue lolling lazily from his mouth. He was uncaring to the saliva that dripped from the corners of his lips, more attentive in staring at himself in the mirror with an irritated frown.

His eyes were the worse.

The right one was open wide in a blank stare.

Literally, blank.

There was no pupil.

The eye was shrouded in shadows, not reflecting any light, as if it had dried out in its socket.

The opposite one was half-shut, lines of darkness etched beneath it, signs of many sleepless nights. The iris was icy blue, but shrunken; wild and insane-looking. The pupil was spiked, like a ball of thorns.

He was…

…there was no fitting word.

Maka screamed.

Crona's attention jerked from the reflection, and his single functional eye met hers, trembling in shock.

"_MAKA_!"

His shout sounded like many voices overlapping each other, many of them familiar to Maka. These were the voices of people she knew, but only one of them was actually Crona.

He stepped towards her, and it only made her screams louder.

She was terrified.

His destroyed eye flickered, replaced by another- one that was narrow, golden, and serious.

…_Kid's eye_?

It changed again, being replaced by a blood-red one.

…_Soul_?

It began to rapidly change, as if it were sorting, looking for a particular one that suited its best interest. It stopped as it found the one it was trying for.

Crona's.

Finally, she understood.

This was his true form, the one Kid had suggested.

The true Kishin.

"Get the _fuck_ out of here!" he screamed at her as his voice flickered back to the one she marched with the name 'Crona'. "_GET OUT_!"

She realized that he was yelling in attempt to drown out the screaming that still poured from her lips.

Crona's claws changed back to hands as he bodily shoved her out of the doorway, forcing her to leave. She fell back onto her rear, in a shrieking mess.

"_GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM ME_!" he commanded, vines moving and slamming the door shut when she was out of the way. All of the plant matter withdrew from the hall and slid back under the door, disappearing.

"AHH, SHIT!" he yowled, crashes ringing out from the opposite side of the door. "You ruined it, Maka! You ruined EVERYTHING! Didn't the front door close?! Didn't you leave with Soul?! I DIDN'T KNOW YOU WERE HOME!"

There was an unexpected, shrill laugh.

"I'M SUCH AN IDIOT!"

Then, silence.

Maka remained motionless, eyes wide and lips parted in shock as she stared at the closed door.

She was not meant to see that.

Plus, she had reacted in the worst way possible, her disgust showing through.

If past experience meant anything, she knew that having her scream in terror at his mere appearance was going to send him into an extremely sour mood.

…but…

He was…

…she couldn't help it. That… deformity… was too much.

Finally moving, she put her face in her shaky palms, shoulders heaving as tears began to form.

Maka cried.

**A/N- I figured out a more efficient way for me to write, so you'll be getting more frequent updates if this works out for me. See you very soon!**


	6. Kind of a Bookworm

Maka sat on the couch, flipping through channels on the television set.

As usual, there was nothing interesting to watch.

She sighed, turning it off and glancing at the clock with eyes that were still swollen. _9:13 AM_, it read.

She hadn't heard anything from Crona for the past three hours, and only silence and faint shuffling could be heard from the bathroom.

_The shape or form doesn't matter_.

Isn't that what she had said so many times before- to not judge something based on its cover? Yet, stripping away that façade of a normal teenage boy… wasn't that removing the cover, too? Seeing what he really was… it wasn't really a feeling that she wanted to go over again.

Maybe it would be easier to just pretend that it never happened.

Once more, the question tugging at the recesses of her mind re-stated itself. When would he be willing to come out of his hiding place?

Her lips tightened thoughtfully. As much as she would like to see him again, she was almost afraid of how he would act now that she was aware of how he had changed. Maybe she wasn't just scared of how he would act… perhaps she was scared of him altogether…

Not that she'd be willing to admit that.

…maybe he was going to hide forever…

She really screwed up.

He might hate her now.

She might never be able to see him a-

"Hey, Maka!"

Never mind.

Maka's head quickly whipped to the side and her eyes fell on Crona as he walked nonchalantly into the room. He was running a comb through his perfectly-groomed hair, smoothing out any last knots.

He looked exactly the same as the day prior, though donning different apparel. This time, he had a simple black t-shirt with vividly yellow short sleeves; a white skull on the front. He wore white jeans, accompanied by the shoes she was so familiar with. Several bracelets and watches were wrapped around his wrists, none of them matching another. Resting atop his head was a pair of goofy-looking green shades, as if he didn't look odd enough already.

"Crona…" she murmured, blinking. She definitely didn't expect to see him so quickly.

She stared; trying to imagine how he could possibly be the thing she had set eyes on last night.

"So Maka, I was thinking," Crona began, tossing the comb onto the ground carelessly. He paid no attention to her mood. "I'm getting really bored of sitting around in this dumb, boring apartment!" A quirky grin settled on his lips, and he crossed his arms. "Can we go to the Death Bazaar, hm?" Leaning forwards, he giggled. "I didn't wreak too much havoc there, I promise."

"Uhm…" Maka blinked, dumbfounded. "Aren't you… upset…?" Maka wasn't sure how to put her concerns into words without offending him, and hesitated. She felt a nervous sweat beginning to form on her forehead, and she bit her lip.

"Upset? What about?" he questioned sweetly, innocence written on his face. "I just barely came in here!" He was quick to push the subject aside, and Maka could have sworn that she saw something bitter flash through his eyes. "That Bazaar is in Death Pain Square, right?" He scrunched up his nose, frowning distastefully. "You can really tell that the old Lord Death named everything. What a loser!"

Maka couldn't help but stare at him just a bit more warily than before.

She tried to register the fact that what she was looking at… wasn't really him. It was a disguise, some sort of façade of normalcy that he hid himself in. As this frail teenage boy, he looked fairly innocent, besides that devilish smirk he was so insistent upon carrying now.

In actuality, his form was enough to make her cry.

Before, Maka was actually coming closer to feeling comfortable around him, but all of that was shattered. In a way, this entire form was a lie- it was all fake.

"Crona…" Maka began in a whisper. She had to know more about this. "…I-"

"Let's get going, okay?" he interrupted, grabbing her roughly by the wrist and tugging her out of her seat. A thin film of emotion lined his voice, his eyes shaking slightly.

If Maka pressed any further, Crona would snap at her. She knew he would.

"Check it out, Maka!" Crona exclaimed, his cheery façade cracking for a mere second before retaking its carefully aligned place. "You don't even need to go change or anything before we leave!" His fingers snapped together, and Maka suddenly found herself wearing a casual skirt and t-shirt. Her shoes appeared on her feet, and a handbag slung over her shoulder.

"C-Crona," Maka stammered again, attempting to pull out of the painful grasp he had around her wrist. Fear was beginning to root itself in her mind, tugging at the edges of her soul. She looked up, eyes meeting his.

Although his face was still plastered in that lopsided grin, she saw something beneath it.

Ferocity?

_Rage_.

Oh, he was mad, alright.

"Is there something bothering you, _Maka_?" he questioned, eyes narrowing into a glare as his voice gained a deep undertone. "Do you have something you need to talk about?"

Her mouth snapped shut.

Maka shook her head quickly.

She didn't want to die today.

Crona's grip loosened on her wrist, and the sharpness of his eyes faded into something more rounded and satisfied.

"Yeah… that's what I thought."

He sounded very smug, obviously enjoying the feeling of being superior over her.

As much as Maka despised admitting this, she was horrified by him. She didn't want to fight or argue with someone who was like… him.

Releasing her wrist entirely, he started towards the door, glancing back expectantly. "You coming?"

Maka felt completely frozen to the spot, her feet as heavy as lead as her heart pounded loudly in her ears. Why was she so terrified?

Those odd eyes of his true form kept flashing through her head.

She shuddered.

"Maka, _move_," Crona commanded, and Maka avoided looking into his eyes.

"_Move_."

Maka complied, finally walking to his side, her head bowed.

"Alright, let's go," She mustered up an attitude less negative than the one before it, beaming at him with a smile. "Which kind of shop are we going to look for?"

He visibly relaxed, a tension vanishing from his shoulders as a weight seemed to be lifted from his back. "Mmmm, I don't know!" Without waiting for a response, he entwined the fingers of his left hand with those of her right, and opened the door of the apartment. "I've never actually been to a bazaar or anything like that before. What do they sell…?"

"You don't even know what it is?" Maka's fingers didn't leave his grasp, and she blinked quizzically. "You're excited over something you haven't even been to before!" With a small laugh, she followed him as they closed the door behind them and proceeded to leave the apartment complex.

"D-don't laugh at me!" he stammered, face slightly red.

When he realized what just happened, he covered his mouth with his free hand and coughed as if he had just choked on his own words. Quietly, he hoped that Maka hadn't noticed what just happened.

He stuttered.

Oh, Maka noticed.

She was careful to hide her attentiveness.

"It's okay, I can explain it for you," she began, her free arm swaying cheerfully at her side. "Pretty much, people just come and sell random things on the side of the street. It's neat; you can find all kinds of things. When I have books I've read too many times, I go over there and sell them."

"Huh!" Crona pondered, putting a hand to his chin. "I didn't think you'd be okay with giving away any of your books."

"Well, I like books a lot, you know that! But…" she paused, thinking. "I guess that it isn't really the actual paper that matters. It's the words inside that count."

Maka paused abruptly.

…_huh_…

Books were a lot like people.

She continued, trying to hide her thoughtful expression as quite a few things occurred to her.

"What I mean is… I won't forget what the book is about. That's what's important. I don't need to read it again to understand what it was, unless it's just been a while." She found a small smile threatening to appear on her face, and her eyes gained a far-away look. "No matter how beaten and worn the cover gets, it still says the exact same thing… it-"

Maka stopped as she felt Crona's hand moved to cover her mouth. She blinking quizzically, looking at him for answers.

"Maka," he grunted, taking his hand back. "You're rambling about _books_. It's kinda boring."

"Oh…" Maka grew red-faced, looking away with embarrassment. "Errr, sorry."

_Was it really books I was talking about…_?

"It's okay!" he chirped, taking her hand in his own again and running down the sidewalk, pulling the hapless girl behind him. "I just wanna hurry and get where we're going, not sit here and talk about books all day!"

Maka stumbled clumsily, unable to run as quickly as him when she was being dragged forwards, the soles of her shoes scraping against the cement. "Hey, slow it down, would you?!"

"No need!" Crona replied, coming to an immediate halt. Maka slammed into his back, letting out a yelp and nearly falling backwards. "We're heeeere~!"

Maka rubbed her forehead and groaned, looking around him to stare at the people gathered just beyond the stairs they stood at the top of. They were busy chatting and mingling, just as they had always been… unaffected by whatever madness Crona had spread.

He _totally_ left that place untouched on purpose. He just wanted to take her there.

"Come on!" he exclaimed, running down the stairs with a skip in his step.

"Yeah, I'm coming," she sighed, taking her time following. If he got lost, he'd find her again eventually, anyway. It wasn't that big of a place.

Besides, she had a lot to think about.

"Oof!"

Well, maybe later.

"Watch where you're going- oh! Maka!"

Aforementioned girl looked up to find Liz, whom she had accidently bumped into. The girl wore designer jeans purposely torn at the knees and a white tank top. (Maka never really understood the whole "ripped jean" fad.)

"Hi, Liz," Maka greeted, smiling. "What brings you here?"

"Shopping, obviously!" the young lady grinned, holding up a few bags triumphantly. "The stuff here is mostly used and shit, but hey. There are some pretty neat homemade trinkets out here." She brushed a strand of hair from her face, glancing around. "Hey, have you seen Kid and my sister anywhere? I totally lost track of them."

"Nah," the Meister replied, adjusting the handbag that still slung over the shoulder. "But hey, you can hang out with me until you find them, right?"

Liz smiled. "Sure. What, did you come here by yourself? No Soul?"

The girl's face fell. "Well, Soul's been gone from the apartment for a few hours, so he isn't here. Crona wanted to pay a visit to this place, because he's never been to a bazaar before."

"Crona, huh?" Liz's eyes got a far-away look as she spoke, contemplating. "…he's the Kishin now, right?"

"Yeah," Maka replied, staring in the same direction as Liz in attempt to find what she was looking at. "It's kind of weird, I'll admit… but… I don't know, I'm starting to feel like it's… okay."

"Huh," was all that the weapon said in response.

Maka coughed lightly, breaking the silence between them. "And what about Kid? He's Lord Death?"

Liz's face grew confused, and her head whipped around to face Maka. "Hey, you know what? I don't really know… I should ask him if this actually makes him replace his dad." She tapped her chin thoughtfully. "I've gotta say, I miss the old guy. Sure, he could be pretty freaky, but he's Kid's daddy and everything… and isn't Kid… like… asexually produced?"

Maka blinked.

"What?"

"Well, how else would he be born? He doesn't have a mom or anything."

"You're calling it 'asexual reproduction' now?"

"Well, do you have anything else to call it?"

"N-not really," Maka admitted, rubbing the back of her head sheepishly. "So… technically, that means that Kid _is_ Lord Death, in a way…?"

"Well… yeah, pretty much!"

There was a long moment of silence, which Liz finally broke.

"Let's not talk about this anymore, it's too weird."

"Y-yeah, sounds good to me!"

They promptly dismissed the subject, beginning to walk through the crowd once again. They kept a subtle eye out for any of their companions, but remained focused on starting conversation.

"Liz, have Black*Star and Tsubaki been seen around lately?" Maka asked, glancing up at her friend again. "I haven't heard from them."

"Oh, they've been seen, alright," Liz groaned, slapping her forehead. "I swear, the madness that Crona spreads is even scarier than what Asura used to do…"

"What do you mean by that?" the girl questioned, confusion clear on her face. "What happened to Black*Star?"

"Well… uh… it's hard to expla…" she paused, her eyes widening as she saw something ahead of them.

"…_shit_."

"What?" Maka raised an eyebrow, turning to face what Liz was looking at.

Kid was standing there, his fists clenched tightly at his sides. His well-groomed appearance told no tales of the animalistic rage that was building within him. His sharp eyes were narrowed and threatening, his lips turned down into a frown. They moved as he spoke to whatever he was looking at, jaw clenched.

Maka had a bad feeling about this.

Moving quickly, she pushed through the crowd, hurrying towards the young shinigami. As she finally stumbled towards him, she saw what just what he was staring at with so much hatred bubbling in those golden eyes.

Crona was standing in front of him, his eyes glaring right back into Kid's own. He seemed less trained at keeping a hold on his emotions, and appeared just about ready to lash out at the boy. His face was contorted in a fierce scowl, showing an anger she had never expected to see paint those pale features.

She could feel the rage of their souls pulsing through the air, and even through whatever soul protect Crona had covering his wavelength wasn't strong enough to mask it.

"_Crona_," Kid continued from wherever he had left off, his eyes never wavering. "I would like to clarify that I'm only telling you that it is unsafe to have a Kishin walking around the city as if it were perfectly normal. Such behavior is unacceptable if we are to be on positive terms with each other." He didn't as much as twitch as Crona's face grew even more bitter, the shinigami's confidence showing clearly. "We… wouldn't want anyone getting hurt, would we? I know you aren't a completely irrational person. Surely you see the reason for my concerns. The people of this city are my number one priority while my father is… away."

"You're telling me to _get out_," Crona growled, his voice low and filled with scorn. "I'm not going to listen to you. Who do you think you are- running around like you own the place?"

"I _do_ own this entire city and all of the individuals residing here," Kid said, something hostile appearing beneath his expertly trained business-like attitude. "I'm not sure you understand what I am saying." He took step forwards, fists still clenched at his sides. "I am telling you not to terrorize this place any longer."

"_Terrorize_?" Crona scoffed, the edges of his lips turning up into a mad smirk. "I'll show you the meaning of _terrorize_, you bastard."

Maka's heart sank as she realized what she was witnessing.

What was in front of her… were the successors of Asura and Lord Death themselves. Madness and order; standing right in front of her in its purest form.

This was not going to end well.

**A/N- I suck, haha. Well, how's this sound: fast updates, shorter chapters? It's easier for me. Just thinking about how I need to type long chapters makes me go slower, but I just started this chapter yesterday (because I'm stupid).**

**Errr, reviews are really shweet, by the way. c; Y'all don't seem to review very often, haha.**

**Also, in case you were curious, there is NO Kid x Crona in this story. Sorry to disappoint. I am also sorry if I accidently repeat anything or if there are any inconsistencies in this story, heh. I lose track of what I've already written.**

**Next time, we get to catch up with Black*Star and a daily dosage of random comedy.**

**See ya!**


	7. Quarrelsome

Maka's senses were overwhelmed by the sensation of the young gods' souls, their rage creating an almost dizzying feeling as she struggled to stay upright at all. Her head spun, eyes trying desperately to remain focused.

Liz stood by her side, her face pale with concern. Though Maka knew she cared only about Kid's well-being in this situation, the meister could hardly blame her. After all, Crona was the Kishin here, not Kid. He was simply attempting to keep order.

"Guys, th-this is not okay," Maka said quickly, stepping towards them. She held her hands up defensively, as if attempting to shield herself from any attacks they may fire. She felt sweat forming on her brow, and she tried to stay strong. After all, she was supposed to be the courageous one, and these were some of her best friends. "Can you work this out somehow?"

"There is nothing to 'work out', Maka," Kid stated firmly, his eyes unblinkingly focused on Crona. "He is the Kishin, as we all are aware of. It is my sworn duty to protect this city… this world… from disturbances such as… this."

"You keep _pausing_, Shinigami," Crona hissed, his fists tightening menacingly. "Are you trying to be delicate? To be _polite_ and _gentlemanly_?" There was a sarcastic edge to his voice, and he leaned forwards a bit, poised as if he were about to strike the other boy with a fist. "I'll tell you something, Kid. _It isn't working_."

"You just refuse to listen to reason, don't you?" Kid scoffed, scowling. "Why are you so insistent upon disobeying me?"

"Rules are disgusting, order is pointless, and I _hate_ listening." Maka couldn't help but cringe at that sick smirk that was plastered on Crona's face, as if the boy was completely mad. Then again, he _was_ an embodiment of madness itself. "I am not making an exception for the likes of you. The only time I let things slip is when it's _her_." Without moving his gaze, he pointed at Maka, and the girl jumped slightly at the attention being drawn to her. "She can set rules, and it'll be okay. You don't have that liberty. You aren't worth it."

"Even when it is her, you don't seem to listen. You attempt to justify yourself, but all that you're saying is complete nonsense!" He took another step forwards, crouching slightly, and ready for combat. His sharp eyes pierced deep into Crona's own. "My rules are only necessities; I do not restrain personal rights. I would allow you to stay; however, you have already passed over the boundaries. It was a mistake to allow you to roam the city for this long at all."

Crona giggled, stepping forwards as well. "You're so stupid! _Stupid, stupid, stupid_! I don't care if you're Maka's friend- I'm taking you out right here and now!"

"Maka," Kid addressed sternly, gaze staying strong. "Tell your pet Kishin to listen to the orders given to him. Seeing as he will not listen to me on his own, I require your assistance."

"That's just playing dirty, Kid!" Crona screeched, his fist coming into contact with the other deity's face.

Kid reeled back, not expecting a sudden outburst when he had previously seemed to have the upper hand. His head bowed, fingers ghosting over the stinging bridge of his nose, his fingertips dampening from the steady trickle of blood that had begun to form. He slowly pulled his hand back, staring at the crimson that stained his nails.

"Kid," Liz gasped, putting a hand over her mouth in worry.

She didn't walk forwards.

She knew better than that.

Maka had no idea what to say or do. She couldn't see Kid's expression from where she was standing; and could just watch the droplets of blood fall from his face.

The crowd had formed a wide circle around them to gawk, and the smarter individuals had taken their children and fled from the developing scene. They had been murmuring, but seemed to suddenly grow silent.

"That is unacceptable behavior, Crona Gorgon," the shinigami murmured, his head rising. His eyes were practically on fire, but he remained with a strong expression, daring him to object. His back straightened again, and his arm went slack, falling away from his face. Something changed in his voice, something that sent a shudder of fear and recognition up Maka's spine.

"_You are a bad child… I want you out of my sight_."

He was using a new strategy.

By mimicking Medusa, Kid was trying to tap into Crona's negative emotions and use them against him.

Exactly what his reasoning was… it was a mystery to the girl, and most likely to everyone else. Was Kid trying to bring out Crona's more introverted personality- to uncover it from everything else? In a way, that would be a painful process, she assumed. Or… he could just be trying to snap his frail mentality.

Either seemed likely… and very affective.

Crona was on his knees, his fingers digging sharply into his scalp, his teeth grit. His face was obscured by his uneven bangs, and he let out a low hiss of breath. He shivered a bit, as if an unseen force were crushing him from above.

"Shinigamiiiii…" he cooed, and _it_ was heard again. His voice once again separated into many others, melding and washing over one another to form a single unity. "What was that fooooor? Do you have any idea how much that hurts?" The Kishin drew out some vowels, punctuating his sentences with small laughs and twitches. "Don't use that against me… _you sick son of a bitch_."

Kid's hand swept forwards, and he pointed down at the suffering Kishin before him. "If you refuse to listen to order… with the power bestowed upon me, I will send you to the same fate as your predecessor. I can and will exercise my new strength whenever necessary. In other words…" he leaned a bit, becoming slightly closer to eye level with the other. Something snapped in his restraint, and a menacing scowl appeared on his features. "…_Don't try me_. I'm not messing around."

"Neither am I!" Crona exclaimed, his hand shooting out and fingers latching around Kid's face. He tossed the unsuspecting shinigami to his feet, head hitting the pavement with a sickening snap. The grim reaper's perfect white lines of sanzu mingled with fresh blood, turning a deep crimson.

Crona laughed madly, bringing his heel down on Kid's forehead, the gold-eyed boy eliciting a gasp of pain.

"What's wrong down there? Kishin got your face?" Keeping his foot firmly planted on Kid's head, he bent over a bit, a sick smirk pulling at his lips. "Oh, by the way…" His voice dropped to a whisper, as if he were telling an important secret. "Yeah, you know how I killed Medusa and gut her like a fishy? Mm, you can't really use her as an excuse to get me to listen and shit. It's just going to make you have a _very_ mad embodiment of insanity on your hands."

His heel twisted, digging mercilessly into the boy's previously unblemished skin. Kid croaked wretchedly beneath the shoe, fingers twitching violently and trying to grasp Crona's ankle.

"Sorry, I can't hear you! You'll have to speak up down there!"

Liz buried her face in her hands.

Maka was frozen.

Kid finally latched onto the boy's slim ankle and twisted violently, the Kishin yelping in response as he crashed onto the sidewalk head-first. Kid was able to move freely again, and he quickly jerked upright and crouched, pressing his bloodied face into his sleeve.

"Just look what you did," the shinigami crooned, staring at his shirtsleeve and paying little mind to the swollen patches on his cheeks. "This will need practically a _gallon_ of bleach."

With that, he grabbed Crona by the front of his shirt, raising the struggling boy to his eye-level. He glared with the cruelest look he could manage underneath his injuries, all sympathy drained from his expression.

"Do I hear a 'sorry' yet?"

His fist slammed into the Kishin's face, returning the punch he had received earlier with a vengeance. Crona coughed and spluttered, black blood leaking from his busted lip and the lower eyelid of his left eye. Maka had never thought it possible to bleed so easily from an eye, but of course, Crona's current anatomy was different than those of normal beings.

"Oh, what do you think of 'alright, Lord Death'?" he hummed.

Kid's fist returned, leaving a similar mark on the opposite side of the Kishin's face.

Perfectly symmetrical.

"I suppose that either would do just fine."

Kid's fist reared back, preparing to land another brutal hit.

It was stopped in mid-flight as Crona caught it in his hand, gripping tightly enough to snap bone.

"Don't underestimate me, brat," the Kishin growled, spitting out a mouthful of blood. "I bleed easily… but, remember? I have a good reason for that." The smirk came back, looking warped on his beaten face. "_Black blood, bitch_."

There was a sudden complete silence as the two deities stared each other down, neither willing to back down.

The air was thick with tension and the sickly smell of blood.

Maka closed her eyes.

She didn't want to watch this, and it was beyond her power to stop.

Someone would win, and someone would fall. Whichever one it was, it would still be painful. Maka didn't want to think about it, and most certainly didn't want it to actually happen.

It was too much.

_It was over_.

"Damn, I leave for a few minutes, and you guys are already at each other's throats over me? Girls, girls, you're both pretty!"

Maka's head jerked up, eyes flashing open as a familiar head of spiky hair came into view.

She was unable to register anything else before there was a flash of blue, and the quarreling gods were pulled into a headlock.

"Black*Star! Release me this instant!" Kid choked, flailing his limbs.

Crona just struggled, his face turning a shade of purple and cheeks puffed out comically.

"I will when I feel like it!" Black*Star teased, a quirky grin appearing on his face. "The big man is in the house now!"

Maka was finally released from the terror, the negative energy from the soul wavelengths of her friends fading away. Her vision was cleared, mind coming back into focus. She felt as if a tremendous weight was being lifted from her shoulders, and she sighed with relief.

"Black*Star, where have you _been_?" Maka asked, putting her hands on her hips.

"I could say the same to you, Sleeping Beauty!" the boy scoffed, looking up from the other two. "It's been forever, Maka!"

"Only a few weeks," she murmured, rubbing her forehead to ease the headache that was beginning to form.

Looking around, she saw what appeared to be a large crowd of people approaching from the other side of the city, cheering so loudly that she was pretty sure she could hear them from nearly a mile away.

"What the hell is that?" she asked, pointing at the crowd in bewilderment.

"Oh!" Black*Star gasped, releasing the boys from his grasp. They fell to the ground, gasping for air. "They're here!"

"_Oh no_," Liz said in exasperation, shaking her head wildly. She ran forwards and scooped up Kid by his armpits, beginning to drag him away, caring little about the uncomfortable nature of her mode of transportation. "Maka, you'd better get Crona and scram… _right now_."

"Why?" Maka questioned, brows rising with worry. "What's going on? Who're they?"

Black*Star laughed boisterously, spinning on his heel. Maka hadn't seen him act so full of himself for months, and his mentality seemed to have reverted back to being a rude little kid.

"My fan club, of course!"

**A/N- Very short chapter because I wanted to give you this as soon as possible. I feel guilty for being such a slow updater, and I'm super grateful for your feedback and stuff! Thanks for all of those reviews last time, please keep it up, loves! c: And yes, we finally get to find out about Black*Star and Tsubaki next chapter. xD**

**For those of you that know about the thing with Asura and Kid in the manga lately… wow! I'm probably going to use that in this story sometime soon. The manga is ending in about four months… I'm disappointed, but excited at the same time to see how it all comes to a close!**


	8. Fan Clubs and Flowers

"Excuse me, what?"

Maka was dumbfounded.

Black*Star? Being… popular? Black*Star- the boisterous, unlikable Black*Star- had… actual fans?

In that moment, Maka truly understood the meaning of "madness".

As unbelievable as it was, Maka stared straight into the crowd of people with their own collectable wristbands, shirts, flags, anything… and all of it was Black*Star-themed. Little prints of cartoonish Black*Star faces adorned Black*Star vests, Black*Star shirts, Black*Star bandanas, Black*Star _everything_. It was like staring into an army of the assassin's imaginary friends.

It was horrifying.

Maka quickly followed in Liz's previous actions and dashed forwards, grabbing the back of Crona's shirt and beginning to drag the Kishin as far away from the scene as possible. She struggled, teeth clenched as she tried to drag the heavy weight along with her.

"Goddammit, Crona! You're too heavy!"

There was a choking sound in response, and Maka loosened her grip; though it was mostly because her muscles were beginning to hurt.

"Are you calling me fat, Maka?!" Crona wheezed, catching his breath after being surprise-choked twice in the past minute. "Th-that's cruel! Look at my fabulous figure!"

"I'd rather not," she replied bluntly, her eyes still trained on the rapidly-approaching crowd.

"Don't play so hard-to-get, it drives me crazy!" he pouted, crossing his arms huffily. "And you don't even appreciate all the work that I did to make that hilarious _thing_ you're staring at!"

Maka paused.

"…wait, you did this?!"

Crona looked up at her with a bemused expression; somewhere between disgust and horror. "You thought he'd actually be able to get fans on his own!? _Dearest Death_, Maka! I get no recognition around here!"

She should've known.

"But… I… what in the world did you _do_?" she questioned, brows rising.

"Ah… I learned how to use the internet," he replied, fingers moving as if he were typing on a keyboard. "It was pretty easy to hack into news sites, gossip pages, Twitter, Tumblr… those technology-protection-firewall thingies are pathetic!" He sneered, giggling slightly. "Well… it's amazing what some people will believe if it comes with a nicely photoshopped image."

Maka groaned, burying her face in her hands. "What is the point of making him popular?"

"It's funny," he replied, shrugging. "What else can I say?"

"Well, you-" Maka looked up, and locked eyes with him. Her mouth opened slightly in surprise, eyes widening.

Wasn't he just injured?

His face no longer had any trace of a bruise, and there was no blood on the ground where he had fought Kid only moments earlier. It was all gone.

"How…" Maka managed, blinking.

"No time, Maka!" Crona announced, jumping to his feet and grabbing onto Maka's hand. A lopsided grin appeared on his face as he turned to look back at Black*Star. "You've got to check this out, it's too hilarious!"

Maka complied, not in the mood to talk back.

"There's enough of me to go around, ladies!" Black*Star cooed, drawing an uneven star on someone's forehead. Crona snickered, burying his face in his hands while he tried not to burst out laughing. "I know I'm gorgeous, but we've gotta keep shit organized, okay?"

"Since when does he care about organization?" Maka muttered, eyes narrowing. As much as she hated to admit it, she did find the scene amusing. That ninja boy was making a complete fool of himself.

"Oh my gosh, Maka!" a voice gasped from behind the spectating duo, and a pair of arms wrapped around the girl's shoulders in a rough hug.

"Uh- who-" the meister spluttered, struggling to glance behind her. She managed to catch a glimpse of long black hair hanging over her shoulder, and quickly came to a conclusion. "Tsubaki! There you are!"

There was a tired sigh, and the arms loosened their grip. Maka turned around to stare at her friend, and found the girl in a terrible condition. There was a smear of dirt running along her face, her clothing torn in various places. Her knees were scraped up, the skin bright red and raw. She smiled, her drooping eyes contrasting against the upturning of her lips. "Yeah, it's me… a bit roughed up, though."

"Tsubaki, whoa, what _happened_?" Maka gawked, placing her hands on the young woman's shoulders and staring seriously. "I feel so in-the-dark about everything these days!"

Tsubaki put her hands on Maka's elbows, shaking her head sadly. "I… I'm not sure. A couple weeks ago, Black*Star suddenly got…" her brows furrowed, as if she could hardly believe it herself. "…popular? These people kept showing up and it just really got out of hand. I've been trying to keep track of Black*Star, but it just seems like he's running around, flaunting his fans everywhere. I'm happy for him- believe me, I am! This is the kind of thing he's always wanted. I just… I know he hasn't completely forgotten about me, but I'm definitely not a priority?" her frown deepened, and she bit her lip. "I don't mean to sound selfish! I care a lot about him being happy and everything, but he's… lost sight of what's important. If that makes any sense…?"

"Hmm," Maka hummed, deep in thought. "I'm sorry, Tsubaki… I understand. I'll help as best as I can, alright?" She paused momentarily, taking her hands off of her friend's shoulders and gesturing at the destroyed outfit. "But, uh, that doesn't explain… this."

Tsubaki hurriedly brushed some dirt from her skirt, replying softly. "I was trying to follow after him, and I ended up getting trampled."

Maka winced. "Ow. I hope you're alright."

"I'm fine, really!" Tsubaki insisted, stretching her arms. "But there's one thing I don't understand…" Confusion was written across her features as she began hesitantly. "How did he get this popular, anyway…?"

At this, Maka shot a glare at Crona, who shrugged simply.

"Don't be a party pooper, Maka!" Crona complained, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.

Glancing back to Tsubaki, the meister found the weapon girl with the most horrified expression she had ever had. Her mouth was wide open in shock, eyes no different, trembling in terror.

"…Tsubaki…?" Maka murmured, staring at her in alarm. "What's wrong?"

"He…" the girl stuttered, clamping a hand over her mouth. It didn't take a genius to tell that she was completely terrified by the boy accompanying Maka. He stared at her simply, wondering what she was going to do next with the amusement of a cat stalking its prey. "He's…"

"…the Kishin?" Maka finished, placing a steady hand on her shoulder as a comfort. "It's okay, Tsubaki. He won't hurt you." She sent a glance at Crona, gesturing slightly at the girl. "_Right_, Crona?"

The boy shrugged in response, sitting cross-legged on the ground with his hands on his knees. "Sure, whatever makes Maka happy!"

Maka sighed, irritated. "Close enough."

"I'm just…" Tsubaki managed, stepping backwards. "I'm just going to…" she pointed a shaking finger towards Black*Star's crowd, still stepping backwards. "…go over there…" Saying no more than that, she stumbled away to try to worm her way through the crowds.

"Urgh, what is her problem?" Crona scoffed, watching her leave. "Her and Liz and Kid, and… a lot of other people, too. Come on, show some sensitivity!"

"Crona…" Maka sighed, shaking her head. "Please…"

Crona just frowned.

It was a long moment before Maka finally spoke again.

"…you need to reverse this thing," she declared, gesturing towards the ridiculously large crowd in front of them.

Crona's face filled with disappointment, eyes filling with fake tears. "But…! It's awesome, Maka!"

She stared at him.

"…fine. Just… give me a minute, okay?" he muttered reluctantly, standing up. With a skip in his step, he hurried into the crowd, weaving through it with ease, passing Tsubaki. Maka could only watch, exasperated.

"Look, lady, I dunno if I'm comfortable with something like _that_," Black*Star insisted, waving his hands in front of him as he argued with a member of the crowd. "I know ya want me- everyone does- but I'm kinda weirded out by that request…"

"Hey- hey, Black*Star!" Crona cried out, announcing his presence loudly, waving his arms around. "Black*Staaaar!"

Black*Star turned his head to look at the pink-haired Kishin, a quirky grin appearing on his face. "Crona, my man!" He delivered an enthusiastic high-five to the other boy, giving a loud cheer. "Whassup? Did you come up with an awesome slogan for me yet?"

Crona shook his head, still smiling stupidly. "Naahh, not yet, sorry about that!"

"Ah, s'okay! Take all the time you need! I'm super generous like that," the meister announced, his voice unnecessarily loud, echoing over the squeals of the crowd. "After all, it's not every day that a cool star like me gets to have someone organize all their merchandise and shit. Thanks again for that!"

"Yeah, it's not a problem!" the Kishin giggled. "I mean, you're going to be famous for the rest of your life, right?"

"Yeah! And this man right here will be my right hand or whatever!" he draped an arm around Crona's shoulders, giving him a sideways bro-hug sort of embrace.

"Mhmmm!" Crona laughed, eyeing someone's cellphone mischievously and paying little mind to the blue-haired boy.

"Hold on a second…" the person murmured, and Black*Star turned to her instinctively.

"Something wrong?" he asked, letting go of Crona to focus on the girl curiously.

"You…" she started, and then held up her phone, lips pulled into a scowl. "…Tumblr officially announced that you're a fraud!"

There was a collective gasp, and Black*Star's mouth dropped open in dismay. Crona feigned shock, putting a hand over his mouth dramatically.

"_Excuse me_?!" the ninja shouted in panic, looking around him. "I'm not a _fraud_, I'm the man who surpassed god!"

He was ignored as many people gathered behind the girl to stare at the post, which was, in fact, posted by Tumblr itself as a warning.

"You lied!" came a shriek, and the mob of fans became akin to the sort of mobs in which people carried pitchforks and torches.

Black*Star spluttered excuses, which were drowned away in the yelling of the crowd. Any accessories that were bought as a tribute to him were thrown to the ground in a flurry of blue and smashed between feet as they moved away from him.

"But… but!" Black*Star managed, reaching out for people as they passed, walking away from him. "I was just…!"

"I think we're done here," someone spat, and the crowd separated, grumbling with annoyance.

"…but…" the boy said feebly, hands dropping to his sides. "…aww."

"Black*Star…" Tsubaki murmured, her hand resting on one of his shoulders.

He glanced up at her with large, sad eyes. "Tsubaki? When'd you get here?"

She smiled sheepishly. "I was right over there, actually… I saw what happened."

The boy stared at the ground, face red with embarrassment. "Yeah, you saw me go from an internet sensation and back to just Black*Star again in seconds…" he muttered, crossing his arms over his chest. "I didn't need them anyway…"

"_Just_ Black*Star?" she laughed, shaking her head, her black hair flowing across her shoulders. "You're not _just_ Black*Star. You're the _Great_ Black*Star, right?" Tsubaki smiled softly. "And I'm the biggest fan."

Her meister just stared at her for a long moment.

And then, he smiled.

"Nah, you're my partner!"

"Aww, now isn't that just sweet?" Crona gushed, returning to his place beside Maka. "Doesn't it just make you wanna kiss someone?"

"No, Crona," she groaned, scooting away from him.

"Damn."

She rolled her eyes. "At least things seem sorted out now with all of our friends, right?" She couldn't help but smile, knowing that the closest people to her were all safe.

"_Our_," the Kishin scoffed quietly, glaring at his shoes. "You're so naïve."

Maka went quiet.

Of course.

"_We're not done yet_."

Crona glanced to the source of the new voice, rage already secure on his face. "I know that."

Maka followed his gaze, seeing Kid nearby, watching them intently. The bruises on his face were beginning to heal already thanks to his shinigami body, but the blood on his clothing told the story of what happened earlier. Liz and Patty stood on either side of him, protectively staying close. His hands were tucked into his pockets, his back straight, clearly staying on the alert.

"I will be seeing you later." He looked to Maka, nodding politely. "Maka, just remember what we talked about earlier."

He turned, walking away.

What had he said earlier?

…oh, that's right...

_Stay wary_.

"What a douchebag," Crona hissed, frowning as he watched the young shinigami leave. "Raining on the parade like a frigging…" he trailed off, muttering to himself.

"Um," Maka began, struggling to distract him from his foul mood before he ended up destroying something. She knew from her recent experiences that it was better to have him happy than angry. "We didn't really get a chance to check out the shops yet, right? We should do that right now!" As a comforting gesture, she took his hand in hers, interlocking their fingers tightly.

"Mmm," he hummed, looking to her with his eyes dancing slightly. "I think… I think I'd like that."

"Good!" she smiled, starting to walk with him staying close by her side.

It was amazing that Death Square seemed so peaceful, even after all that had happened only minutes earlier. A small fight between gods and a stampede of fangirls didn't change anything, the streets remaining busy with customers and salespeople, going along on what were their daily lives.

It was actually pretty charming.

"What kind of a shop do you wanna look for, Crona?" Maka inquired, staring at a few nice-looking skirts hanging from the edge of a table. As much as she'd like to treat herself to some of those, it was probably better to focus on keeping her friend happy, rather than herself. She looked away from them wistfully, somewhat disappointed.

He didn't answer, being much too preoccupied with watching Maka's face. He had noticed when she sent the look towards those skirts.

Without so much as a word, he dragged her towards the booth, leaning over the desk and glancing at the meister again. "Which one is your favorite?"

"Uhh," she faltered, not expecting him to take this course of action. "Um, that one, I guess," she said, pointing at a tan miniskirt with patterns sown into the edges. "Why do you ask?"

Crona didn't respond, picking up the skirt and shoving it into her free arm. "There we go!"

"Excuse me," the bewildered shop owner stuttered, tapping Crona on the shoulder. "That'll be twenty dollars, sir."

"Sorry, miss," he replied, shaking his head softly. "I believe it'll be free?"

"T-twenty, sir," the woman spoke again, slightly louder, as if he were hard of hearing.

"I said, it'll be free, madam," he repeated, leaning over the table slightly. Maka caught a glimpse of sharp fangs poking from his upper lip as he snarled at the woman, who was shaking in fear behind the counter.

"_Crona_," Maka warned, grabbing him by his upper arm and pulling him a safe distance away from the woman. Maka stared at him, watching as the fangs morphed away. He stared at her in confusion as she reached into the bag she carried, bringing out a twenty dollar bill. "I'm sorry for the trouble," she apologized, setting the money on the counter and trying not to startle the woman any further. "Really."

"…it's… alright…" she managed, her trembling fingers reaching for the dollar. She eyed them warily. "…have a nice day…"

"Same to you," Maka nodded, locking arms with Crona and dragging him away from the booth. She decided it was best to leave as fast as possible, before he did something else stupid.

"Maka, why'd you do that?" the boy asked, sounding genuinely confused. He stared at her with wide eyes and a deep frown, waiting for an answer.

"You can't just take whatever you want," she said, shaking her head. "It's not alright." She felt like she was talking to a baby, having to simplify everything she was saying.

"I can too! I'm the Kishin!" he tried, staring at her as if she was the insane one.

"You can't," she repeated.

He went quiet, but not without a defiant scoff.

He was a _lot_ like a little kid, Maka realized. Maybe he got that from Ragnarok.

"Ooh!" Crona gasped, tugging her towards a cart that caught his eye.

"What is it, Crona?" she asked, unable to see around him.

He abruptly stopped, pulling Maka's arm so that she was standing next to him. He smiled softly, eyes bright, as he stared at the contents of the cart.

Maka's eyebrows rose.

"Flowers?"

"I love flowers," he sighed dreamily, delicately poking at a bright yellow daffodil. "They're so beautiful."

"Does it come with the fact that you have funny rose powers now?" the meister asked, watching his soft expression.

"I don't know, I don't really care," he responded simply, his voice light and airy. He went from one flower to another, stroking the petals gently.

"…huh."

For a long moment, it was silence. Peaceful, even.

Maka loved it.

The sun shone brightly overhead, just enough to warm people, but not burn them. The flowers' smell filled the air with the freshness of leaves, and the people around them talked and laughed, perfect and happy.

Everything felt almost normal.

"I should start a garden."

She glanced up at her friend, who had his eyes closed peacefully.

"I guess that'd be a nice hobby, huh?" she responded, her chin resting in her palm.

"It's like you really have control over everything in a garden. You manage how well they live, you water them, and you feed them."

"Yeah," she responded, not really understanding what he was talking about.

"…and you weed out the disease."

His voice was dark.

Maka felt a chill race up her spine.

"It's a beautiful story of life and death."

Maka wet her lips, speaking hesitantly. "…I guess."

The boy pushed away from the cart, walking away from it and glancing back at her, grinning. "Are you coming, Maka? I know flowers are sexy, but we've got things to do, people to see!"

"Y-yeah!" Maka managed, accepting his hand into hers as they started down the street again.

She glanced at their entwined fingers as they walked, listening to her heart pound in her ears.

Maka was holding hands with insanity.

**A/N- Surprise! I'm not dead! :) Computer problems, depression problems, school problems… lots of things have gotten in the way. But you know what? I'm here now and totally determined to finish this thing ASAP. I'm a long way from being done, haha. Anywho, the Soul Eater manga is ending soon, so let me just say… thanks for everything that this fandom and series has given me. It means so much more than you can even imagine. If I didn't have Soul Eater, I don't know if I'd feel like living was worth it. So many years with this fandom has made me who I am today.**

**Please review, loves! It makes me happy! ;v; I typed all of this today for you guys, haha.**


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